Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement

In historical sociolinguistics, researchers analyze how language variations spread across geographic boundaries. The rapid adoption of phonetic innovations among diverse, isolated communities _______ that early trade networks played a far more influential role in cultural transmission than scholars previously assumed. As a result, modern linguists are actively revising their existing models of regional dialect evolution.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A
    suggest
  2. B
    suggesting
  3. suggestsAnswer
  4. D
    have suggested

Answer

The singular verb 'suggests' is the correct choice because it agrees with the singular subject 'adoption.'
The subject of the sentence is the singular noun phrase 'the rapid adoption,' not the plural noun 'communities' or 'innovations.' The singular verb 'suggests' correctly agrees in number with this singular subject.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the subject of the clause containing the blank.
The subject is 'adoption,' which is singular.
Finding the true subject is necessary to determine whether a singular or plural verb form is needed.
2
Analyze the phrase between the subject and the verb to avoid distractor nouns.
The prepositional phrase 'of phonetic innovations among diverse, isolated communities' contains plural nouns ('innovations', 'communities') but does not change the singular nature of the subject 'adoption.'
Intervening phrases often contain plural nouns that can mislead readers into choosing a plural verb.
3
Select the option that provides a singular, finite verb form.
The singular verb 'suggests' is correct, while plural forms and participles are eliminated.
Only a singular finite verb maintains subject-verb agreement and forms a grammatically complete sentence.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Intervening Phrases
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

More questions from this topic