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Difficulty: Very hardSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Complete the sentence below by supplying the correct present-tense auxiliary verbs that satisfy the rules of grammatical concord.

Answer:Many a seasoned diplomat 【has】 failed to resolve the border dispute, even though more negotiators than one 【are】 currently participating in the peace talks.

Answer

The first blank requires 'has' and the second blank requires 'are'.
The correct completion uses 'has' for the first blank and 'are' for the second blank. The expression 'many a' takes a singular verb because it modifies a singular noun ('diplomat') distributively. In contrast, the structure 'more negotiators than one' places the plural head noun ('negotiators') before 'than one', which dictates the use of a plural verb ('are').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the subject structure of the first clause containing 'Many a seasoned diplomat'.
The distributive modifier 'many a' strictly pairs with a singular countable noun and requires a singular verb.
Despite the plural implication of 'many', the structural rule of concord dictates that 'many a + singular noun' takes a singular auxiliary verb ('has').
2
Analyze the subject structure of the second clause containing 'more negotiators than one'.
The subject noun phrase has the plural head noun 'negotiators', requiring a plural verb.
When 'more' is immediately followed by a plural noun before 'than one' ('more [plural noun] than one'), the verb agrees with the plural head noun ('negotiators' -> 'are'), unlike 'more than one [singular noun]' which takes a singular verb.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with 'Many a' and 'More... than one' constructions
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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