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Question

Difficulty: HardSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Which auxiliary verbs correctly complete the blanks in the sentence below to satisfy the rules of subject-verb concord?

Answer:The number of foreign envoys who 【have】 arrived for the bilateral peace summit 【has】 surpassed all initial expectations.

Answer

The first blank requires 'have' and the second blank requires 'has'.
In the relative clause, 'who' takes the plural antecedent 'foreign envoys', necessitating the plural auxiliary verb 'have'. In the main clause, the phrase 'The number of...' functions as a singular subject, requiring the singular auxiliary verb 'has'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the subject and verb structure for the relative clause containing the first blank.
The relative pronoun 'who' refers back to the plural noun antecedent 'foreign envoys'.
A relative pronoun takes a verb that agrees in number with its antecedent. Since 'envoys' is plural, the relative clause verb must also be plural ('have').
2
Analyze the head subject and verb structure for the main clause containing the second blank.
The grammatical subject of the main clause is 'The number', which is a singular head noun phrase.
The expression 'The number of' takes a singular verb, unlike 'A number of' which takes a plural verb. Therefore, the main verb must be singular ('has').

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Concord with Relative Pronouns and 'The Number of' Expressions
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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