Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct.
2026
Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct.
Answer: C. The news is very disturbing. — ConceptSubject–verb agreement requires a finite verb to match the grammatical number of its subject. Some nouns end in -s but are grammatically singular. In…
- A.
The news are very disturbing.
- B.
The news were very disturbing.
- C.
The news is very disturbing.
- D.
The news have been disturbing.
Attempted by 18 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
Subject–verb agreement requires a finite verb to match the grammatical number of its subject.
Some nouns end in -s but are grammatically singular. In standard English, “news” is an uncountable singular noun and therefore takes a singular verb.
Application
In “The news is very disturbing,” the singular subject “news” is paired with the singular present-tense verb “is.”
Contrast
“The news are very disturbing” uses the plural present-tense verb “are” with the singular noun “news.”
“The news were very disturbing” uses the plural past-tense verb “were” with the singular noun “news.”
“The news have been disturbing” uses the plural auxiliary “have” with the singular noun “news.”
Hence, the grammatically correct sentence is “The news is very disturbing.”