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Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Which verb forms correctly complete the blanks in the sentence below to satisfy the rules of subject-verb agreement?

Answer:More than one scholar 【has】 argued that poverty, alongside poor infrastructure, 【is】 the primary obstacle to rural development.

Answer

The first blank requires 'has' and the second blank requires 'is'.
The correct verb forms are 'has' and 'is'. Grammatical rule specifies that 'more than one' followed by a singular noun ('scholar') requires a singular verb ('has'). Furthermore, parenthetical expressions introduced by 'alongside' do not alter the number of the main subject ('poverty'), requiring the singular verb ('is').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the subject-verb agreement rule for the first blank containing 'More than one scholar'.
The phrase 'More than one scholar' requires the singular auxiliary verb 'has'.
Although 'more than one' conveys a plural concept, grammatical concord dictates that 'more than one' followed by a singular countable noun takes a singular verb.
2
Analyze the subject-verb agreement rule for the second blank containing 'poverty, alongside poor infrastructure'.
The subject of this clause is the uncountable noun 'poverty', requiring the singular verb 'is'.
Quasi-conjunctions and parenthetical prepositions like 'alongside', 'as well as', or 'together with' do not join subjects compoundly like 'and'. The head subject remains 'poverty', which is singular.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord) with 'More than one' and Quasi-Conjunctions
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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