Nouns & Pronouns

Exercise: Nouns & Pronouns

Questions for: Number

Identify the sentence where the noun's number and its corresponding verb agreement are both grammatically correct.

A: The *police* is investigating the incident with great diligence.

B: Every student, along with their *parents*, were requested to attend the orientation.

C: *Mathematics* are his favorite subject, requiring immense logical thinking.

D: The *criteria* for selection were clearly outlined in the prospectus.

Answer: D

✅ Option D is correct because 'criteria' is the plural form of the noun 'criterion', and it correctly takes the plural verb 'were'.

❌ Option A is incorrect. The noun 'police' is a collective noun always treated as plural in British English and typically in American English when referring to the force as a whole, so it should be 'The police *are* investigating'.

❌ Option B is incorrect. The main subject is 'Every student' (singular), and phrases like 'along with' do not change the number of the main subject; thus, the verb should be singular ('was requested').

❌ Option C is incorrect. Nouns ending in '-ics' like 'mathematics', 'physics', and 'economics' are typically treated as singular subjects despite their plural appearance, so the verb should be 'is' ('Mathematics *is*').

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