Find out which part has an error and mark it as your answer. If there is no…
Find out which part has an error and mark it as your answer. If there is no error, mark 'no error' as your answer.
The number of (A)/ people lined up for buying (B)/ groceries were forty.(C)/ No error (D)
Answer: C. C — Concept: 'The number of' followed by a plural noun refers to a definite, specific quantity, so it functions as a singular subject and always takes a singular…
- A.
A
- B.
B
- C.
C
- D.
D
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Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: 'The number of' followed by a plural noun refers to a definite, specific quantity, so it functions as a singular subject and always takes a singular verb. By contrast, 'A number of' followed by a plural noun means 'several/many' and takes a plural verb, agreeing with the plural noun rather than the quantity.
Application: In the given sentence, the subject is 'The number of people lined up for buying groceries', governed by the 'the number of' rule, so it needs a singular verb. Part (C) instead uses the plural verb 'were', producing a subject-verb agreement error; it should read 'was'.
Cross-check: Replacing 'were' with 'was' gives the grammatically correct sentence — 'The number of people lined up for buying groceries was forty.' — confirming singular agreement with 'the number'.
Why the other parts are correct:
(A) 'The number of' — correctly begins the definite-quantity construction; no error.
(B) 'people lined up for buying' — a correctly formed participle phrase modifying the subject; no error.
(D) 'No error' — cannot apply, since part (C) does carry a subject-verb agreement error.