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Question

Difficulty: EasySubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Consider the sentence below:
"Each of the newly appointed diplomats _____ scheduled to present credentials to the President tomorrow."

Which verb form correctly completes the sentence?

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

Answer

The singular verb 'is' correctly completes the sentence.
The sentence subject is the singular indefinite pronoun 'Each'. In English grammar, modifying prepositional phrases like 'of the newly appointed diplomats' do not alter the number of the subject. Therefore, the singular verb 'is' is required for subject-verb agreement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the true grammatical subject of the sentence.
The subject is the indefinite pronoun 'Each', not the plural noun 'diplomats' inside the prepositional phrase 'of the newly appointed diplomats'.
Nouns inside prepositional phrases modifying the subject do not change the number of the subject.
2
Determine the required verb number (singular vs. plural).
The indefinite pronoun 'Each' is grammatically singular and requires a singular verb.
Standard English concord rules dictate that singular indefinite pronouns take singular verbs.
3
Select the correct present/future passive verb form.
'is' is the appropriate singular present tense auxiliary verb to complete 'is scheduled... tomorrow'.
'is' maintains proper concord with 'Each'.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Concord with Indefinite Pronouns
Estimated Time:40s
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

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