Units of measurement, money, distance or time take singular verbs, even though they may seem plural.

Examples:

• Ten miles is too far to walk.
• Five dollars is a lot for a coffee.
• Two hours was not enough time to finish the exam.

Even though miles, dollars, and hours may seem plural, they are treated as singular units of measurement. So the correct verb form to use is the singular verb.

Nouns like police, clergy, cattle, etc. take plural verbs because they have a plural sense.

The correct answer is only plural verbs.

Even though these nouns may seem singular, they refer to groups of people or things. Therefore, they are treated as plural nouns and take plural verbs.

For example:

- The police have set up roadblocks around the city.
- The clergy lead the spiritual activities in the church.
- Cattle were grazing in the meadow.

These nouns are considered collective nouns. While biologically singular, their plural meaning requires a plural verb form when used as the subject of a sentence.

Other examples of collective nouns that always take plural verbs: are audience, team, committee, government, public, family etc. Recognizing collective nouns helps determine the appropriate subject-verb agreement.

A fraction or percentage refers to a singular amount or quantity, even though it represents a part of a whole. Therefore, it takes a singular verb.

The pronouns 'everybody', 'anyone', etc. take singular verbs.

The correct answer is singular verbs.

Although pronouns like 'everybody', 'everyone', 'anyone', and 'someone' may seem plural, they are grammatically singular and take singular verbs.

For example:

- Everybody is excited about the party.
- Someone has left their book behind.
- No one was interested in the offer.

These pronouns refer to a single hypothetical person. Even though they imply groups of people, they are always treated as singular.

Other pronouns in this category that take singular verbs:

- Anyone
- Each
- Nobody
- Another
- Nothing
- Neither

Getting the subject-verb agreement right with these pronouns prevents grammatical errors in sentences.

The pronouns 'some' and 'most' take verbs according to the nouns they refer to.

The correct answer is nouns.

'Some' and 'most' can act as either singular or plural pronouns depending on the noun they refer back to.

For example:

- Some of the books are missing. (books is plural, so 'are missing')
- Most of the cake has gone. (cake is singular, so 'has gone')

In these examples, 'some' and 'most' agree with the nouns (books, cake) that they refer to.

The key is to identify the noun that 'some' and 'most' relate to in order to pick the correct singular or plural verb form. If the noun is singular, use a singular verb. If the noun is plural, use a plural verb. Basing verb agreement on the referenced noun avoids errors.

Verbs agree with their subjects irrespective of any other words that may come before or after the subject.

Therefore, the correct answer is none of the above.

Subject-verb agreement relies solely on the number (singular or plural) of the subject, not other parts of speech in the sentence.

For example:

- The enthusiastic students are attending the lecture.
- The heavy box of books is difficult to lift.

In the first sentence, the adjective 'enthusiastic' does not affect the plural subject 'students', so the verb is plural 'are attending'.

In the second sentence, the noun phrase 'of books' does not affect the singular subject 'box', so a singular verb 'is' is used.

Adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases etc. do not impact subject-verb agreement rules. The verb must always match the singular/plural form of the subject exclusively.

A collective noun acting as a unit takes a singular verb.

The correct answer is a singular verb.

Collective nouns like family, team, group, committee etc. can be treated as either singular or plural, depending on the context.

When a collective noun is considered a single unit, it takes a singular verb. For example:

- The team is training for the championship.
- His family was going on vacation.

In these sentences, team and family act as single units. So singular verbs are used.

However, when members of the group are acting individually, a collective noun takes a plural verb. For example:

- The team are arguing amongst themselves.
- My family are all arriving at different times.

Being able to identify when collective nouns are singular or plural units is important for subject-verb agreement.

'All' meaning 'everything' takes a singular verb.

The correct answer is a singular verb.

When 'all' means 'the entire amount' or 'the whole', it is considered a singular subject and takes a singular verb. For example:

- All of the cake has been eaten.
- All of the truth will come out eventually.

Even though 'all' seemingly refers to plural things, it refers to the entire quantity as one single unit. So it is paired with a singular verb.

However, if 'all' means 'each and every one', it takes a plural verb. For example:

- All of the students have completed their exams.
- All of his investments are performing well.

In these sentences, 'all' refers to every individual in a group. So you use a plural verb.

The meaning of 'all' as entirely/wholly singular or each plural determines whether the verb should be singular or plural.

"All but" at the start of a sentence takes a singular verb.

Therefore, the correct answer is a singular verb only.

For example:

- All but one student has completed the assignment.
- All but ten dollars was spent on the decorations.

"All but" means "almost/nearly everything or everyone except for..." Even though it seems to imply multiple things or people, "all but" is always followed by a singular noun. So the verb must be singular too.

The key thing is to pay attention to the noun after "all but", not the word "all", to determine subject-verb agreement. If the noun after "all but" is singular, use a singular verb, as in the examples above.

After mandative verbs like insist, suggest, etc., the subject takes a plural present tense verb.

Therefore, the correct answer is plural present tense verb.

Mandative verbs express a demand or recommendation that something happens. Some examples are insist, suggest, recommend, propose, demand, request, advise, etc.

After a mandative verb, the following subject and verb are always in the simple present tense, with the verb plural:

- The manager insists that he work overtime.
- They recommended that she take the job.
- I suggest that the team wait until tomorrow.

The tense remains present simple and the verb plural even if the mandative verb is in a different tense, like past simple:

- He insisted that she carry the box upstairs.
- We suggested that they hire more staff.