16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsEasySubject-verb agreement with a prepositional phrase

Standard English Conventions practice question

The list of participants ____ posted on the door of the gymnasium.

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 of the sentence is 'list', which is singular. 'of participants' is a prepositional phrase describing the list, and a verb never agrees with a noun inside such a phrase. A singular subject takes the singular verb 'is'.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. are
'are' agrees with 'participants', but 'participants' is inside the phrase 'of participants' and isn't the subject. The list is what's posted — one list, singular verb.
C. were
'were' is both plural and past tense. The subject is the singular 'list', and nothing in the sentence calls for the past.
D. have been
'have been' is plural. The subject 'list' is singular, so it would need 'has been' — and the simple present 'is' fits the sentence best.

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