Spoonful #64: SUBJECT-VERB QUIZ

This post is a blast from the past - a throwback to my earliest Spoonfuls. For a refresher before the quiz, you're welcome to check out #2: VERBS, #3: SUBJECT, #4: SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT, and #5: INDEFINITE PRONOUNS. On top of that, I'll even give you two important hints!

HINT #1: Within each sentence, identify the subject first. Then determine if the subject is singular or plural before selecting the appropriate verb form.

HINT #2: When most present tense verbs are singular, they end in S. That's the opposite of nouns, where ending in S designates the plural form. 

Ready? The quiz starts NOW!

CHOOSE THE PROPER VERB:
1. Mary and Janet (agree, agrees) to work on the project together. 
2. Neither Harry nor Hester (like, likes) chocolate at all. 
3. John or the twins (take, takes) the class gerbil home each weekend. 
4. The plots of these books (is, are) quite similar.
5. High on a steep, craggy mountaintop, where air is thin and vegetation sparse, the mountain goats (thrive, thrives).
6. The Martins or Jerry (is, are) responsible for bringing napkins.
7. In "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson (go, goes) to Camp Halfblood, a safe camp for demigods.
8. Everybody (is, are) psyched about Jennie's pool party. 
9. The point of my posts (is, are) to help you with your writing.
​10. Many colleges (is, are) going SAT optional this year, which (make, makes) the college essay even more important. 

NO PEEKING!! NO PEEKING!! NO PEEKING!! 

ANSWERS 
1. Mary and Janet agree (plural)
2. Neither Harry nor Hester likes (singular)
3. John or the twins take (singular)
4. The topic is (singular)
5. the mountain goats thrive (plural)
6. The Martins or Jerry is (singular)
7. Percy Jackson goes (singular)
8. Everybody is (treated as singular)
9. The point is (singular)
10. Many colleges are (plural); makes the college essay (singular)

I hope you enjoyed my little quiz. Mismatched subjects and verbs are a common grammatical problem, and this topic appears in every single SAT/ACT. That's why I started with this topic and brought it back for a refresher!

Stay safe and healthy! My hopes and prayers are with you all. 

Sincerely,

Laura Fineberg Cooper
A Spoonful of Grammar

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