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Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

The chief auditor stressed that every one of the branches inspected during the quarterly review _______ required to update its accounting ledger immediately.

Which of the following options correctly completes the sentence above?

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

Answer

The correct option is 'is', as it provides the singular verb required to agree with the singular grammatical subject head 'every one'.
The sentence requires a singular verb because the head of the subject phrase is the singular indefinite expression 'every one'. Intervening prepositional phrases such as 'of the branches' contain plural nouns but do not change the singular nature of the subject head. Therefore, the singular verb 'is' maintains proper grammatical concord.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the complete subject clause and locate the true head word.
The full subject phrase is 'every one of the branches inspected during the quarterly review'. The head word is the singular distributive expression 'every one', while 'of the branches' is a prepositional modifier.
Prepositional phrases intervening between the subject head and the verb do not alter the grammatical number of the subject head.
2
Apply the rule of indefinite pronoun concord.
Indefinite pronoun expressions introduced by 'every one' take a singular verb form regardless of any plural nouns inside the prepositional modifier.
Grammatical agreement in formal English requires the verb to match the head noun in number.
3
Select the verb option that reflects singular present-tense concord.
'is' is the only singular verb option compatible with the sentence structure.
Plural forms like 'are', 'were', and 'have been' violate subject-verb concord with 'every one'.

Key Concept

Indefinite Pronoun Concord and Error of Proximity
Estimated Time:50s
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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