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Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Which of the following options correctly completes the sentence below?

"The fleet of cargo vessels, along with three naval escorts that were anchored near the harbor, _____ scheduled to depart before dawn."

  1. isAnswer
  2. B
    are
  3. C
    have been
  4. D
    were

Answer

The correct option is 'is' because the true subject of the sentence is the singular noun phrase 'The fleet', which requires a singular verb.
The sentence features a singular collective head noun, 'fleet'. Expressions introduced by prepositional phrases such as 'along with three naval escorts' are parenthetical additions and do not make the subject compound or plural. Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is required.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the true grammatical subject of the clause.
The head noun of the subject phrase is 'fleet', which is singular.
Phrases introduced by quasi-conjunctions or prepositions like 'along with', 'as well as', or 'together with' are parenthetical and do not alter the number of the subject.
2
Disregard intervening plural modifiers.
The plural nouns 'vessels' and 'escorts' inside the prepositional and relative clauses are object complements, not the subject.
Verbs must agree with their main subject, not with nearby modifying nouns (avoiding the error of proximity).
3
Select the singular verb form that satisfies concord.
The singular verb 'is' correctly pairs with 'The fleet'.
Singular subjects demand singular verbs in present indicative constructions.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Parenthetical Phrases
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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