Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021

Treat titles of works, company names, words mentioned as words, and gerund phrases as singular
Make subjects and verbs agree
Grammar

A gerund phrase consists of an -ing verb form followed by any objects, complements, or modifiers (see 49b). Treat gerund phrases as singular.

EXERCISE 21-1

Edit the following sentences to eliminate problems with subject-verb agreement. If a sentence is correct, write “correct” after it. Answers appear in the back of the book.

a. One of the main reasons for elephant poaching are the profits received from selling the ivory tusks.

b. Not until my interview with Dr. Hwang were other possibilities opened to me.

c. A number of students in the seminar was aware of the importance of joining the discussion.

d. Batik cloth from Bali, blue and white ceramics from Delft, and a bocce ball from Turin has made Angelie’s room the talk of the dorm.

e. The board of directors, ignoring the wishes of the neighborhood, has voted to allow further development.

EXERCISE 21-2

For each sentence in the following passage, underline the subject (or compound subject) and then select the verb that agrees with it. (If you have trouble identifying the subject, consult 48a.)

Loggerhead sea turtles (migrate / migrates) thousands of miles before returning to their nesting location every two to three years. The nesting season for loggerhead turtles (span / spans) the hottest months of the summer. Although the habitat of Atlantic loggerheads (range / ranges) from Newfoundland to Argentina, nesting for these turtles (take / takes) place primarily along the southeastern coast of the United States. Female turtles that have reached sexual maturity (crawl / crawls) ashore at night to lay their eggs. The cavity that serves as a nest for the eggs (is / are) dug out with the female’s strong flippers. Deposited into each nest (is / are) anywhere from fifty to two hundred spherical eggs, also known as a clutch. After a two-month incubation period, all eggs in the clutch (begin / begins) to hatch, and within a few days the young turtles attempt to make their way into the ocean. A major cause of the loggerhead’s decreasing numbers (is / are) natural predators such as raccoons, birds, and crabs. Beach erosion and coastal development also (threaten / threatens) the turtles’ survival. For example, a crowd of curious humans or lights from beachfront residences (is / are) enough to make the female abandon her nesting plans and return to the ocean. Since only one in one thousand loggerheads (survive / survives) to adulthood, special care should be taken to protect this threatened species.