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Question

Difficulty: HardSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Which of the following verb combinations correctly completes the sentence below?

"Dr. Okon is one of those dedicated researchers who _______ late into the night, yet neither of his laboratory technicians _______ willing to work overtime."

  1. A
    stays / is
  2. stay / isAnswer
  3. C
    stay / are
  4. D
    stays / are

Answer

stay / is
The correct verb combination is 'stay / is'. In the first clause, the relative pronoun 'who' refers to the plural antecedent 'researchers' in the construction 'one of those [plural noun] who', necessitating the plural verb 'stay'. In the second clause, the subject is the singular indefinite pronoun 'neither', which requires the singular verb 'is' regardless of the plural noun 'technicians' in the modifying phrase.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the subject and antecedent in the first clause.
In the construction 'one of those [plural noun] who...', the relative pronoun 'who' refers to the plural head noun 'researchers', not 'one'.
Relative clauses modify their immediate antecedent. Since 'researchers' is plural, the relative clause verb must also be plural ('stay').
2
Analyze the subject in the second clause.
The subject is the indefinite pronoun 'neither'.
Indefinite pronouns such as 'neither', 'either', and 'each' take singular verbs when followed by a prepositional phrase ('of his laboratory technicians'). The plural object of the preposition does not change the grammatical number of the subject head.
3
Select the verb combination that satisfies both clauses.
The first blank requires 'stay' (plural) and the second blank requires 'is' (singular).
This combination strictly adheres to both relative antecedent agreement and indefinite pronoun agreement.

Key Concept

Relative Clause Antecedent Agreement & Indefinite Pronoun Concord
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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