Neither of the paintings _ sold.
Correct answer: B. Were
- A. Is
- B. Were
- C. Was
- D. d) Are"Are" is the present tense of the verb "to be," used with plural subjects. However, "neither" makes the subject negative, and "paintings" is plural, so "are" is not the correct verb form.
Explanation
b) Were"Were" is the past tense of the verb "to be" and is used with plural subjects (e.g., they, we, paintings). "Neither" makes the subject negative, but since "paintings" is plural, "were" is the correct verb form.
Report an error
The more specific you are, the faster it gets fixed. A source beats an opinion.
Prefer email? [email protected]
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.
Practise Grammar
6,178 free Grammar MCQs from English, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.
Discussion
Stuck on an option, or know a faster way to get there? Ask or explain it here.
No comments yet. Be the first to explain this one.
Exams that ask English questions like this
English is on 133 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.
More Subject-Verb Agreement questions
The company _ of its stakeholders.
Choose the correctly structured sentence.
Knowledge and wisdom _ no time for connection.
Demonstrate correct use of subject-verb agreement:That night, every one of the boat's crew _ down with fever.
His pants _ torn during the match.
A number of soldiers _ injured during the war.