16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsMediumSubject-verb agreement with a title as subject

Standard English Conventions practice question

'Selected Letters', the collection published last spring, ____ mostly correspondence with the author's editor.

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

  1. A. containsCorrect
  2. B. contain
  3. C. are containing
  4. D. have contained

Answer: A. contains

A title is singular even when its words are plural: 'Selected Letters' contains.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. contain
'Contain' agrees with 'letters' as a plural noun, not with the title as one work.
C. are containing
'Are containing' is plural.
D. have contained
'Have contained' is plural.

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