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Question

Difficulty: EasySubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

The collection of rare antique coins stored inside the wooden boxes ______ on display at the national museum today. Which of the following options correctly completes the sentence in accordance with subject-verb concord?

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

Answer

The singular verb 'is' correctly completes the sentence.
The sentence requires the singular verb 'is' because the grammatical subject is the singular head noun 'collection'. The modifying prepositional phrase 'of rare antique coins' and the participial phrase 'stored inside the wooden boxes' contain plural nouns, but these do not alter the singular requirement of the main subject.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the head noun of the subject phrase
The complete subject phrase is 'The collection of rare antique coins stored inside the wooden boxes', where the head noun is 'collection'.
Prepositional phrases ('of rare antique coins') and participial modifiers ('stored inside the wooden boxes') post-modify the head noun but do not change its singular grammatical number.
2
Apply the rule of subject-verb concord
A singular head noun requires a singular verb form ('is').
Subject-verb agreement dictates that the verb must agree with the structural head noun rather than any intervening plural nouns.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Concord (Error of Proximity)
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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