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Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement

Read the following passage about meteorology. Which present-tense form of the verb 'depend' correctly completes the sentence to maintain subject-verb agreement?

Answer:The formation of supercell thunderstorms, which can produce devastating tornadoes and large hail, 【depends】 on strong vertical wind shear and high atmospheric instability.

Answer

depends
The subject of the sentence is 'formation', which is singular. The plural nouns 'thunderstorms', 'tornadoes', and 'hail' are part of intervening prepositional phrases and relative clauses, so they do not affect the verb agreement. Therefore, the singular present-tense verb 'depends' is the correct choice.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the subject of the sentence.
The subject of the sentence is the singular noun 'formation'.
To ensure subject-verb agreement, we must first locate the noun that is performing the action, bypassing any intervening descriptive phrases.
2
Analyze intervening phrases and clauses.
The prepositional phrase 'of supercell thunderstorms' and the relative clause 'which can produce devastating tornadoes and large hail' modify 'formation' but do not change its singular number.
Plural nouns within modifying phrases (such as 'thunderstorms' and 'tornadoes') can easily distract from the true singular subject.
3
Match the singular subject with the correct verb form.
A singular subject requires a singular present-tense verb: 'depends'.
Singular verbs in the present tense end with an 's' (depends), whereas plural verbs do not (depend).

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Intervening Phrases
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

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