16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsHardAgreement with 'half of' plus a plural

Standard English Conventions practice question

Half of the tickets for the final ____ already been sold.

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

  1. A. haveCorrect
  2. B. has
  3. C. is
  4. D. was

Answer: A. have

With 'half of', the verb agrees with the noun that follows 'of'. 'tickets' is plural, so 'have been sold'.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. has
'has' would be right for a singular noun ('half of the cake has'), but 'tickets' is plural.
C. is
'is ... been sold' isn't a standard form, and 'is' is singular.
D. was
'was ... been sold' isn't standard, and 'was' is singular.

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