Standard English ConventionsMedium'A number of' takes a plural verb
Standard English Conventions practice question
A number of the exhibits in the new gallery ____ on loan from other museums.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A. areCorrect
- B. is
- C. was
- D. has been
Answer: A. are
'A number of' means 'several', and its verb is plural: 'a number of the exhibits are'. (By contrast, 'THE number of' is singular.)
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. is
- 'is' would agree with 'the number', but the subject here is 'a number of exhibits' — several things.
- C. was
- 'was' is singular, and the tense shifts away from the present-tense description.
- D. has been
- 'has been' is singular.
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