Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

Professor Okafor is one of those distinguished scholars who ________ immense dedication to preserving indigenous African languages.

Which of the options correctly completes the sentence above?

  1. demonstrateAnswer
  2. B
    demonstrates
  3. C
    is demonstrating
  4. D
    has demonstrated

Answer

The correct option is 'demonstrate' because the relative pronoun 'who' modifies the plural antecedent 'distinguished scholars'.
In English concord rules, when the construction 'one of those [plural noun] who...' is used, the relative pronoun 'who' refers to the plural noun phrase ('distinguished scholars'). Consequently, the verb inside the relative clause must be plural ('demonstrate').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main clause and the relative clause in the sentence.
Main clause: 'Professor Okafor is one of those distinguished scholars'; Relative clause: 'who [verb] immense dedication...'
Determining clause boundaries isolates the verb needing agreement.
2
Identify the antecedent of the relative pronoun 'who'.
The antecedent is the plural noun phrase 'distinguished scholars', not 'one'.
In the construction 'one of those [plural noun] who...', the relative pronoun 'who' refers directly to the plural noun that immediately precedes it.
3
Select the verb form that agrees in number with the plural antecedent.
The plural present-tense verb 'demonstrate' is required.
Plural antecedents require plural verbs in relative clauses.

Key Concept

Relative Clause Concord (One of those... who + plural verb)
Rate this question

Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)

More questions from this topic