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Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Each of the senior research fellows appointed to the environmental science panel _____ expected to present a comprehensive policy document at the upcoming symposium.

Which verb form correctly completes the sentence?

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

Answer

The singular verb 'is' correctly completes the sentence because the grammatical subject is the singular indefinite pronoun 'Each'.
The sentence requires a singular verb because its true subject is the singular indefinite pronoun 'Each'. The plural phrase 'senior research fellows' is part of an intervening prepositional modifier and does not determine verb agreement. Therefore, the singular present-tense verb 'is' is the only grammatically correct selection.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the grammatical subject of the sentence.
The subject head word is the indefinite pronoun 'Each', modified by the prepositional phrase 'of the senior research fellows appointed to the environmental science panel'.
Prepositional phrases following the main pronoun do not alter the number of the subject.
2
Apply the rule of indefinite pronoun concord.
Indefinite pronouns such as 'each', 'everyone', 'nobody', and 'either' are syntactically singular and take singular verbs.
Grammatical agreement depends on the head pronoun, not on intervening plural nouns within modifying phrases.
3
Select the correct present-tense singular verb.
The verb 'is' correctly satisfies singular concord.
'is' is singular, whereas 'are', 'were', and 'have' are plural forms.

Key Concept

Indefinite Pronoun Concord vs. Error of Proximity
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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