Year 11 English — Agreement with harder subjects

Make the verb agree when the subject is a quantity, a fraction, an inverted phrase or a subject buried in an added phrase.

Name: ________________________

1.The principal, along with the teachers, ____ visiting the site tomorrow.
- a) are
- b) have
- c) were
- d) is
2.Write "is" or "are": Two-thirds of the students ____ present.
3.Sort each sentence by whether the verb agrees with its subject.
Groups: Agrees · Does not agree
- A number of letters has arrived.
- More than one shop were shut.
- More than one shop was shut.
- The number of letters has grown.
- The number of letters have grown.
- A number of letters have arrived.
4.At the end of the lane ____ two old wells.
- a) is
- b) was
- c) are
- d) has been
5.Sort each subject by the verb form it takes.
Groups: Takes is, has, was · Takes are, have, were
- The number of names
- The list of names
- Two-thirds of the page
- The names on the list
- A number of names
- Two-thirds of the pages
6.Write "was" or "were": Among the papers on the desk ____ a torn map.
7.Write "has" or "have": More than one house ____ been damaged by the storm.
8.Which sentence is correct?
- a) Half of the mangoes has ripe.
- b) Half of the mangoes is ripe.
- c) Half of the mangoes was ripe.
- d) Half of the mangoes were ripe.

Answer key — Year 11 English — Agreement with harder subjects

1. d) is
2. are
3. A number of letters have arrived. → Agrees; A number of letters has arrived. → Does not agree; The number of letters has grown. → Agrees; The number of letters have grown. → Does not agree; More than one shop was shut. → Agrees; More than one shop were shut. → Does not agree
4. c) are
5. The list of names → Takes is, has, was; The names on the list → Takes are, have, were; A number of names → Takes are, have, were; The number of names → Takes is, has, was; Two-thirds of the page → Takes is, has, was; Two-thirds of the pages → Takes are, have, were
6. was
7. has
8. d) Half of the mangoes were ripe.