Choose a verb in agreement with its subject in the following sentence:…
2022
Choose a verb in agreement with its subject in the following sentence:
Politics ______ with him the business of his life.
- A.
were
- B.
have been
- C.
has
- D.
was
Attempted by 10 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
The correct verb to fill the blank is was. The full sentence is: "Politics was with him the business of his life."
Subject-Verb Agreement Analysis
In English, certain nouns that end in "-s" (such as politics, economics, mathematics, or physics) are singular when they refer to a field of study, a practice, or a specific subject matter.
Singular Subject: Because "Politics" here refers to the field or the practice as a single concept, it acts as a singular noun.
Verb Agreement: A singular subject requires a singular verb. "Was" is the singular past tense form of the verb "to be," making it the correct match for "Politics."