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Difficulty: Very hardSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Complete the sentence below by supplying the correct past-tense form of the auxiliary verb 'to be' in each blank to satisfy the rules of grammatical concord.

Answer:Neither of the international envoys who 【were】 dispatched to mediate the border conflict 【was】 optimistic about achieving a lasting ceasefire.

Answer

The first blank requires 'were' and the second blank requires 'was'.
In the subordinate relative clause ('who... dispatched'), the relative pronoun 'who' modifies the plural antecedent noun 'international envoys', necessitating the plural past-tense verb 'were'. In the matrix (main) clause, the true grammatical subject is the head word 'Neither', an indefinite pronoun that takes a singular verb regardless of any intervening plural prepositional phrase, necessitating the singular past-tense verb 'was'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the grammatical structure of the dependent relative clause containing the first blank.
The relative pronoun 'who' refers to its immediate plural antecedent 'international envoys'.
A relative pronoun agrees in number with its antecedent, so the verb inside the relative clause ('who... dispatched') must be plural ('were').
2
Analyze the subject of the main clause containing the second blank.
The main subject of the sentence is the indefinite pronoun 'Neither'.
'Neither' functions as a singular indefinite pronoun when standing as the head of the noun phrase 'Neither of...', requiring a singular main verb ('was').
3
Combine both verb selections to complete the sentence accurately.
The completed sentence is: 'Neither of the international envoys who were dispatched to mediate the border conflict was optimistic about achieving a lasting ceasefire.'
This satisfies both relative clause antecedent agreement and main clause indefinite pronoun concord.

Key Concept

Relative Pronoun Antecedent Agreement and Indefinite Pronoun Concord
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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