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Question

Difficulty: EasySubject-Verb Agreement

In the field of cognitive linguistics, the acquisition of sign languages by young children _______ a fascinating look into the human brain's natural capacity for grammar. Researchers have observed that deaf children exposed to sign language from birth hit linguistic milestones at the same rate as hearing children learning spoken languages. This suggests that the biological foundations for language development are independent of sensory modality.

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

  1. A
    afford
  2. affordsAnswer
  3. C
    affording
  4. D
    have afforded

Answer

affords
The singular verb 'affords' correctly agrees with the singular noun 'acquisition', which is the true subject of the sentence. The intervening plural nouns 'languages' and 'children' are objects of prepositional phrases and do not affect the grammatical number of the subject.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the subject of the target sentence that contains the blank.
The subject is 'acquisition', which is singular.
The intervening prepositional phrases 'of sign languages' and 'by young children' contain plural nouns, but they modify 'acquisition' and do not change its singular status.
2
Choose the verb form that matches the singular subject and fits the present-tense context of the passage.
The third-person singular present verb 'affords' matches the singular subject.
This establishes correct subject-verb agreement.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement
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Topics

Subject-Verb Agreement

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