Choose the correct word: The number of applicants ____ increased this year.
Correct answer: B. has
- A. have
- B. has
- C. are
- D. were
Explanation
The number takes a singular verb because it refers to a single figure, whereas a number of takes a plural verb because it means several. So the number of applicants has increased but a number of applicants have applied. This pair is tested precisely because the two look so similar.
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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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