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Question

Difficulty: HardSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Complete the sentence with the option that best fits the blank:

Neither the senior technicians nor the lead engineer, together with the site supervisors, _____ aware of the structural flaw prior to yesterday's inspection.

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

Answer

was
When subjects are joined by correlated conjunctions like 'neither... nor', the verb agrees strictly with the subject closest to it—in this case, 'the lead engineer', which is singular. Additions introduced by 'together with' are parenthetical and do not alter the singular agreement of the subject. Furthermore, the completed past context indicated by 'prior to yesterday's inspection' requires the simple past singular verb form 'was'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary conjunction structure governing the subject
The clause uses the correlated conjunction 'neither... nor', which connects 'the senior technicians' (plural) and 'the lead engineer' (singular).
When subjects are connected by 'neither... nor', the verb must agree in number and person with the subject closest to the verb.
2
Evaluate the effect of the intervening parenthetical expression
The phrase 'together with the site supervisors' is quasi-conjunctional and parenthetical; it does not turn the singular subject into a plural compound subject.
Expressions such as 'together with', 'as well as', and 'alongside' do not function like the coordinating conjunction 'and'.
3
Determine the grammatical subject and required verb agreement
The true subject governing the verb is 'the lead engineer', which is singular third-person.
The verb must agree with 'the lead engineer', requiring a singular verb form.
4
Select the correct tense and singular verb form
The phrase 'prior to yesterday's inspection' establishes a specific past time, requiring the simple past singular verb 'was'.
The verb must satisfy both singular subject-verb concord and past tense temporal context.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Correlated Conjunctions and Quasi-Conjunctional Parenthetical Phrases
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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