195. the jury was divided on this matter.
Correct answer: A. A) the jury were divided on this matter.
- A. A) the jury were divided on this matter.
- B. (B) jury was divided on this matter.
- C. (C) divided the jury was on this matter.
- D. (D) was the jury divided on this this matter.
Explanation
In this sentence, "jury" is treated as a collective noun. While in American English, collective nouns are often treated as singular, in British English, they are often treated as plural. Since the given sentence doesn't specify a particular English variety, both singular and plural forms can be correct. However, in British English, it is more common to treat collective nouns like "jury" as plural, so "the jury were divided" is the preferred form in this case.
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About Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-verb agreement requires the verb to match the true subject in number and person, even when other words intervene. Questions cover collective nouns, compound subjects, indefinite pronouns, either and neither, relative clauses, quantities and inverted sentences, where proximity can falsely suggest the wrong verb.
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