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Question

Difficulty: EasySubject-Verb Agreement

Many tourists visit the botanical garden to see the exotic plants. A cluster of colorful orchids [1] grow near the entrance, attracting bees and butterflies alike. Visitors often stop to take photographs of the vibrant display.

Which of the following is the best replacement for the underlined portion marked [1]?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. growsAnswer
  3. C
    are growing
  4. D
    have grown

Answer

grows
The grammatical subject of the clause is the singular noun 'cluster'. The prepositional phrase 'of colorful orchids' contains a plural noun, but it does not change the number of the subject. Therefore, a singular verb is required. The verb form 'grows' is singular and fits the present-tense context of the passage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the grammatical subject of the clause.
The subject is the singular noun phrase 'A cluster'.
The verb must agree in number with this subject, not with the plural noun 'orchids' inside the intervening prepositional phrase.
2
Select the verb form that agrees with the singular subject 'cluster' in the present tense.
The singular present-tense verb is 'grows'.
This establishes grammatically correct subject-verb agreement.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Intervening Phrases
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

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