1. Carlos is the only one of those students who (Has, have)______ lived up to the potential described in the yearbook.

2. The International Club, as well as the Choral Society and the Rowing Club, (need, needs) __ ____ to submit a new
constitution.

3. One of my best friends (is, are)_____________ an extra on Seinfeld this week

4. Not only the students but also their instructor (have, has) ________ been called to the principal's office.

5. Most of the milk ( has, are)_____ gone bad. Six gallons of milk (have , is )_______ still in the refrigerator .

6. Each and every student and instructor in this building(hope, hopes) __________ for a new facility by next year.

7. The students and instructors each (hope, hope) ________for a new facility by next year.

8. Rice and beans, my favorite dish, (reminds , remind)__________ me of my native Puerto Rico.

9. A large number of voters still (votes , vote)___________ along straight-party lines.

10. Four years (is, are)_______ a long time to spend away from your friends and family.

11. Politics (is , are)__________ sometimes a dirty business

12. To an outsider, the economics of this country(seem, seems) ________ to be in

Explanation
1. The 'who' refers, in this case, to 'the only one,' which is singular
2. The subject here is 'The International Club,' which is singular. The modifying phrase that comes after 'as well
as' modifies the subject but does not compound it as the word 'and' would do.
3. The subject of this sentence is 'one,' which is, of course, singular. Don't let the intervening prepositional
phrase (with its plural 'friends') fool you.
4. With paired conjunctions such as either ... or and not only ... but also, the subject closer to the verb -- in this
case, the singular 'instructor' -- determines whether the verb will be singular or plural.
5. 'Most' is not a countable noun here (you can't count 'the milk' in the first sentence), so the verb must be
singular. You can count the gallons of milk, though, so the subject in the second sentence is plural.
6. The subject of the verb is 'each and every,' which is singular: the correct verb choice, then, is 'hopes.'
7. When 'each' or 'every' comes after the compound subject, a plural verb -- 'hope' -- is appropriate.
8. 'Rice and beans' is one dish, so we need a singular verb to agree with it
9. 'Number' is a collective noun, but the elements within the collective noun, the voters, are acting separately
in this case (we hope!), so the verb should be plural: 'vote.'
10. The quantity of 'four years' here is meant to be taken as a whole, as one quantity, so the verb should be
singular.
11. 'Politics,' in this case, is one thing, so we need a singular verb.
12. 'Economics,' in this case, means any number of aspects of or facts about the country's financial health, so we
need a plural verb. When the word 'economics' refers to the course or the discipline, it is singular.

Fill in the blanks with appropriate forms of verb. Choose the answers from the options given in
the brackets.

1. One of my friends ……………………….. gone to France. (has / have)

2. Each of the boys ………………………. given a present. (was / were)
3. Neither of the contestants ……………………….. able to win a decisive victory. (was /
were)
4. Oil and water ……………………….. not mix. (do / does)
5. He and I ……………………….. at Oxford together. ( was / were)
6. Slow and steady …………………….. the race. (win / wins)
7. Neither Peter nor James …………………….. any right to the property. (has / have)
8. No prize or medal ………………….. given to the boy, though he stood first in the
examination. (was / were)
9. Either Mary or Alice …………………… responsible for this. (is / are)
10. Neither the Minister nor his colleagues ………………………… given any explanation for
this. (have / has)
 Answers
1. One of my friends has gone to France.
2. Each of the boys was given a present.
3. Neither of the contestants was able to win a decisive victory.
4. Oil and water do not mix.
5. He and I were at Oxford together.
6. Slow and steady wins the race.
7. Neither Peter nor James has any right to the property.
8. No prize or medal was given to the boy, though he stood first in the examination.
9. Either Mary or Alice is responsible for this.
10. Neither the Minister nor his colleagues have given an explanation for this.

Exercise : Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise

Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favorite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's
favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.
21. The committee (leads, lead) very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.

Answers:

Answer : Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise

1. Annie and her brothers are at school.

2. Either my mother or my father is coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats are outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat is always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara don't want to see that movie.
6. Benito doesn't know the answer.
7. One of my sisters is going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds lives on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, takes about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, want to win.
11. Either answer is acceptable.
12. Every one of those books is fiction.
13. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.
14. Is the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics is John's favorite subject, while Civics is Andrea's favorite
subject.
16. Eight dollars is the price of a movie these days.
17. Are the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants are at the cleaner's.
19. There were fifteen candies in that bag. Now there is only one left!
20. The committee debates these questions carefully.
21. The committee lead very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, greets the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, are in this case.
 LET HOPE LIGHT YOUR WAY
Norman Vincent Peale

Hope 1) (are is) more than just a word, it’s a dynamic force, a concept full of power. It can 2(bring
brings) weak back to strength. It can bring the sick back to health. It can 3(turn turns) failure to
success. No wonder St. Paul placed it with the three great 4(principles principle) of Christianity in faith,
hope, and love.

What’s the condition of hope in your life at this very moment? Does it get up with you every morning
when you 5. (raise rise) from your bed? Does it carry you confidently through the day? Is it still there,
soothing and sustaining you, as you fall asleep? That’s what God intended when He created this shining
quality and powered it into us at birth. If somehow 6.( care cares) and worries and fears and
discouragement have gained ascendancy in your mind, then you 7.( needs need) to open the windows
of your soul and let a strong, fresh current
of hope come surging through, neutralizing those mysteries, chasing out those hobgoblins, giving you
the energy and confidence and enthusiasm for living that you need.

Ah, you may 8. (says say) dolefully, it’s all very well to talk like that, but I 9.(have has) very real health
problems and money problems and problems with my family. Just wishing won’t make it go away, will
it?
I’m not talking about wishing. Wishing 10(are is) usually just a form of daydreaming. It’s wistful. It’s
weak. It’s even faintly negative because when you say “I wish “it usually means you don’t 11.( believes
believe) the wish will 12.(comes come) true. But when you hope – really hope- ah, then a magic
ingredient 13.(come comes) into play. That ingredient14. (are is) expectancy. Expectancy says “this
desire outcome can happen. It may happen. I think it’s going to happen, right now, it may be just
dream, but it’s a realizable dream “. When you start hoping instead of just wishing, this expectation is
stirring in you, and with expectation comes power- the power that 15. (change changes) hopes into
realities.

Scan the selection for words defined below. The boxes correspond to the letters of the word. Some letters are
given to help you.

1. Hoping for something to come p a

2. mischievous elves g l

3. upward movement s d

4. not taking the part of either u r

5. moving in g n

6.comforting o i n

7. sadly e

1. How does the speaker defines hope?

2. How does he differentiate between hope and wish?
3. What is the magic ingredient in hope? Explain it?
4. How can hope make weak people strong?
5. How can hope give strength to sick people?
6. Illustrate how hope can turn failure to success?
7. Why is love the greatest of the three great principles of Christianity?
Answer

1. is
2. bring
3. turn
4. principles
5.rise
6. care
7. need
8. say
9. have
10. is
11. believe
12. come
13. come
14. is
15. changes

Answer
1. expectancy
2. hobgoblins
3. ascendancy
4. neutralizing
5.surging
6. soothing
7. dolefully
Elements of Fiction

A. Setting – The setting is the place where the story takes place. Setting includes the following.
 The geographic location ( London Cairo)
 The time period ( example 1896, during world war II , today)
 The social economic characteristics of the location (Example wealthy , suburbs, depression ,
dustbowl)
 The specific building , room and so forth (example a prep school, a log cabin, a bus ,a military
base)
 Can be used to tell the reader about the characters: Example that evening T.J smell the air, his
nostrils delating with the odor of the earth under his feet. “It’s spring”. he said , and there was
a gladness rising in his voice that filled us all with the same feeling.
“It’s mighty late for it , but its spring”. We were all sniffing at the air, too, trying to smell it the
way that T.J did and I can still remember the sweet odor of the Earth under my feet. It was the
first time in my life that spring and spring earth had meant anything to me.

“ Antaeus “ by Borden Deal

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