Class 10 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.Sort each sentence by whether the verb agrees with its subject.
Groups: Agrees · Does not agree
- A number of letters has arrived.
- A number of letters have arrived.
- The number of letters has grown.
- More than one shop were shut.
- More than one shop was shut.
- The number of letters have grown.
2.Write "was" or "were": Among the papers on the desk ____ a torn map.
3.At the end of the lane ____ two old wells.
- a) has been
- b) are
- c) was
- d) is
4.Write "has" or "have": More than one house ____ been damaged by the storm.
5.Write "is" or "are": Two-thirds of the water ____ still in the tank.
6.Write "is" or "are": Two-thirds of the students ____ present.
7.Sort each subject by the verb it needs.
Groups: Takes a singular verb · Takes a plural verb
- All of the roads
- A number of visitors
- Every one of the roads
- More than one answer
- Both of the answers
- The number of visitors
8.Which sentence is correct?
- a) Half of the mangoes was ripe.
- b) Half of the mangoes is ripe.
- c) Half of the mangoes has ripe.
- d) Half of the mangoes were ripe.
Answer key — Class 10 English — Agreement with harder subjects
- 1. 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
- 2. was
- 3. b) are
- 4. has
- 5. is
- 6. are
- 7. The number of visitors → Takes a singular verb; A number of visitors → Takes a plural verb; More than one answer → Takes a singular verb; Both of the answers → Takes a plural verb; Every one of the roads → Takes a singular verb; All of the roads → Takes a plural verb
- 8. d) Half of the mangoes were ripe.