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Question

Difficulty: MediumSubject-Verb Agreement

In historical musicology, the dissemination of hand-copied musical manuscripts across various European courts during the early Baroque period ______ how stylistic trends spread independently of published compositions. While printed books were highly expensive and difficult to distribute, these informal manuscript copies allowed composers to share their work rapidly with peers across borders. Consequently, regional variations developed much faster than previously assumed.

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

  1. illustratesAnswer
  2. B
    illustrate
  3. C
    illustrating
  4. D
    have illustrated

Answer

The singular verb 'illustrates' correctly agrees with the singular subject 'dissemination'.
The singular verb 'illustrates' correctly agrees with the singular subject of the sentence, 'dissemination'. The intervening prepositional phrase containing the plural nouns 'manuscripts' and 'courts' does not change the singular nature of the subject.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the subject of the verb in the sentence.
The subject is the singular noun 'dissemination'. The prepositional phrase 'of hand-copied musical manuscripts across various European courts during the early Baroque period' is an intervening phrase and does not affect the number of the subject.
A verb must agree in number with its grammatical subject, ignoring any intervening prepositional modifiers.
2
Select the correct singular verb form that maintains consistency.
The singular present-tense verb 'illustrates' is chosen.
The sentence presents a general historical fact, requiring a singular present-tense verb to match the singular subject 'dissemination'.

Key Concept

A verb must agree in number with its subject, even when separated by intervening prepositional phrases or clauses containing nouns of a different number.
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

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