Standard English ConventionsEasy–MediumAgreement with subject after intervening phrase
Standard English Conventions practice question
A collection of more than four thousand glass-plate photographs ____ discovered in the observatory's basement in 2016.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A. wasCorrect
- B. were
- C. are
- D. have been
Answer: A. was
The subject is the singular 'collection' — not the plural 'photographs' beside it — so the verb is 'was.'
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. were
- 'Were' agrees with 'photographs,' but the subject is 'collection.'
- C. are
- 'Are' is both plural and the wrong tense for the dated account.
- D. have been
- 'Have been' is plural; the subject 'collection' is singular.
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Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
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