Vocabulary 4000 - Noel's ESL eBook Library

146 Vocabulary 4000
Solutions to Drill II
1. The rising cost of government bureaucracy have made it all but impossible
to reign in the budget deficit.
(A) The rising cost
(B) Since the rising costs
(C) Because of the rising costs
(D) The rising costs
(E) Rising cost
Choice (A) is incorrect because the plural verb have does not agree
with its singular subject the rising cost.
Both (B) and (C) are incorrect because they turn the sentence
into a fragment.
Choice (E) is incorrect because rising cost is still singular.
Choice (D) is the correct answer since now the plural verb have
agrees with its plural subject the rising costs.
2. In a co-publication agreement, ownership of both the material and its means
of distribution are equally shared by the parties.
(A) its means of distribution are equally shared by the parties.
(B) its means of distribution are shared equally by each of the parties.
(C) its means of distribution is equally shared by the parties.
(D) their means of distribution is equally shared by the parties.
(E) the means of distribution are equally shared by the parties.
Choice (A) is incorrect. Recall that intervening phrases have no
effect on subject-verb agreement. In this sentence, the subject
ownership is singular, but the verb are is plural. Dropping the
intervening phrase clearly shows that the sentence is ungrammatical:
In a co-publication, agreement ownership are equally
shared by the parties.
Choice (B) is incorrect. Neither adding each of nor interchanging
shared and equally addresses the issue of subject-verb
agreement.
Choice (D) contains a faulty pronoun reference. The antecedent
of the plural pronoun their would be the singular noun material.
Choice (E) is incorrect since it still contains the plural verb are.
The answer is choice (C).