16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsEasy–MediumAgreement with 'one of the'

Standard English Conventions practice question

One of the printers on the second floor ____ out of toner again.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. isCorrect
  2. B. are
  3. C. were
  4. D. have been

Answer: A. is

The subject is 'One', which is singular. 'of the printers' only describes it. So: 'One ... is out of toner'.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. are
'are' agrees with 'printers', but 'printers' is inside a prepositional phrase, not the subject.
C. were
'were' is plural and past; the subject is singular.
D. have been
'have been' is plural.

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