5 exercises — practise verb agreement with quantifying phrases in reports and metrics summaries.
0 / 15 completed
1 / 15
Which sentence correctly uses plural verb agreement with "a number of" (meaning "several")?
"A number of servers... are running" is correct: "a number of" meaning "several/many" takes a plural verb, agreeing with the plural noun that follows ("servers"), because the phrase functions as a quantifier modifying a plural count rather than as a singular unit. Options A and C incorrectly use singular verbs ("is", "was"), a common error that confuses "a number of" with singular quantifying phrases. Option D pairs the plural quantifier with a singular noun ("server"), which is internally inconsistent — "a number of" requires a plural countable noun to follow.
2 / 15
Which sentence correctly uses singular verb agreement with "the number of" (referring to the count itself as a single figure)?
"The number of failed requests has increased" is correct: unlike "a number of", the phrase "the number of" refers to the count itself as a single quantity, so it takes a singular verb ("has"), even though it is followed by a plural noun ("requests") — this is a classic and frequently tested distinction in technical and academic writing. Options A and B incorrectly use plural verbs ("have", "are"), applying the "a number of" rule to "the number of" by mistake. Option D pairs "the number of" with a singular noun ("request"), which is grammatically inconsistent since counting requires a plural countable noun.
3 / 15
Which sentence correctly uses "a majority of" with verb agreement matching the following plural noun?
"A majority of the test cases pass" is correct: with "a majority/minority/portion/percentage of" + plural countable noun, the verb agrees with the following noun ("test cases"), which is plural, so the plural verb "pass" is required. Option A incorrectly uses the singular verb "passes", not matching the plural noun that governs agreement in this construction. Option C pairs the quantifier with a singular noun ("test case"), which is inconsistent — a majority requires a plural, countable group to divide. Option D uses singular "is passing", again mismatching the plural noun "test cases".
4 / 15
Which sentence correctly uses "a subset of" with agreement based on the noun that follows it?
"A subset of the user records was corrupted" is correct: "a subset of" behaves like "a number of" quantifiers in that the following plural noun ("user records") determines a plural-feeling group, but "subset" itself is grammatically the head noun of the phrase and is singular ("a subset"), so many style guides treat the verb as agreeing with the singular head "subset" rather than the object of "of" — making "was" the more traditionally correct, formally preferred choice, though usage varies. Option A ("were") treats "records" as the agreement trigger, which is common informally but less consistent with the "subset is the head noun" analysis. Option C pairs the phrase with a singular noun ("user record"), which does not logically support the idea of a "subset" being taken from a larger group. Option D changes "corrupted" (a fully inflected past participle describing an event) to "corrupt" (a bare adjective describing a state), a subtly different meaning that does not match "during the migration" as naturally.
5 / 15
A capacity report says: "The number of concurrent connections _____ risen sharply, while a number of backend nodes _____ still under-provisioned." Choose the correct pair of verbs.
"Has / are" is correct: "the number of concurrent connections" takes the singular verb "has" (the count itself is one figure), while "a number of backend nodes" takes the plural verb "are" (referring to several nodes) — this sentence deliberately tests both quantifier patterns side by side, since confusing "the number of" with "a number of" is one of the most common agreement errors in technical writing. Option A reverses both choices incorrectly. Option C incorrectly uses singular "is" for "a number of backend nodes", which should be plural. Option D incorrectly uses plural "have" for "the number of concurrent connections", which should be singular.
6 / 15
Slack message from DevOps: 'We've observed a considerable increase in API requests. A few of the microservices are experiencing high latency.' Which sentence demonstrates correct quantifier-noun agreement?
The phrase 'a few' indicates a small quantity and requires plural verb agreement. Thus, 'have increased' is the correct choice. Options 1 & 2 use singular verbs ('is' and 'are') which doesn't match the plural quantifier 'a few.' Options 3 incorrectly reverses the order of the quantities.
7 / 15
Slack message from DevOps: 'We've observed a considerable increase in API requests. A few of the microservices are experiencing high latency.' Which sentence demonstrates correct quantifier-noun agreement?
The phrase 'a few' indicates a small quantity and requires plural verb agreement. Thus, 'have increased' is the correct choice. Options 1 & 2 use singular verbs ('is' and 'are') which doesn't match the plural quantifier 'a few.' Options 3 incorrectly reverses the order of the quantities.
8 / 15
Slack message from DevOps: 'We've observed a considerable increase in API requests. A few of the microservices are experiencing high latency.' Which sentence demonstrates correct quantifier-noun agreement?
The phrase 'a few' indicates a small quantity and requires plural verb agreement. Thus, 'have increased' is the correct choice. Options 1 & 2 use singular verbs ('is' and 'are') which doesn't match the plural quantifier 'a few.' Options 3 incorrectly reverses the order of the quantities.
9 / 15
Reviewer: 'The documentation mentions a significant portion of users are reporting issues with the new feature. We need to investigate a number of these reports immediately.' Which verb form is correct?
The quantifier 'a number of' refers to countable nouns (reports). Therefore, we need a plural verb form. 'Is experiencing' correctly reflects this agreement. 'A significant portion' is a tricky phrase; it's often treated as singular for stylistic reasons, but the core issue here is the noun agreement with 'a number of'.
10 / 15
Reviewer: 'The system logs indicate a large number of failed login attempts. A few of the users are utilizing outdated passwords.' Which verb form is correct?
'A large number of' always requires a plural verb because it refers to multiple individuals. 'Few' also necessitates a singular verb form. Using 'are using' correctly reflects this agreement; options B and C are incorrect as they use the plural 'is using' or 'use.' Option D incorrectly uses 'uses,' which is only appropriate with singular nouns.
11 / 15
A system administrator is writing a comment about a failed deployment. Which sentence correctly uses quantifier agreement?
Option 1 correctly uses 'a number of' referring to the *number* of failed deployments. 'A number' is singular and should agree with 'deployments'. Options 2 and 3 use plural forms where singular agreement is required. Option 4 is grammatically correct but less formal for a technical context.
12 / 15
During a code review, a developer writes: 'The application handles a significant amount of data.' Which sentence demonstrates the best use of quantifier agreement?
Option 0 correctly uses 'a significant amount' - 'amount' is a countable noun. Options 1 and 3 use phrases that don't clearly indicate quantity. Option 2 uses 'majority' which implies more than just a large amount.
13 / 15
Reviewer: 'The test suite covers a significant percentage of the codebase.' Which sentence demonstrates the most accurate use of quantifier agreement?
This question tests understanding of 'percentage' as plural. 'Percentage' is treated like a countable noun when referring to multiple individual percentages. Using singular verb 'covers' would be incorrect because it doesn't account for this plurality. Option B incorrectly uses the singular form, while options C and D introduce further grammatical errors.
14 / 15
PR Description: 'This update addresses a significant portion of the reported performance bottlenecks. A number of optimizations have been implemented.' Which sentence demonstrates correct quantifier-noun agreement?
'Portion' and 'number' are countable nouns when referring to multiple instances. Therefore, we must use the plural verb form – 'addresses'. Option B incorrectly uses 'portions', option C incorrectly uses 'part,' and option D changes the verb agreement inappropriately.
15 / 15
API Response: 'The system processed a large number of records. A subset of these records were flagged for further analysis.' Which verb form is correct?
'Records' and 'subset' are countable nouns referring to discrete items. Therefore, the plural verb form – 'were' – is correct. Options B incorrectly uses 'numbers,' option C incorrectly uses 'process' (without an auxiliary), and option D changes tense and noun agreement unnecessarily.
What will I practise in "Quantifier-Noun Agreement in Technical English — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise verb agreement with a number of, the number of, a majority of, and a subset of in capacity reports, test summaries, and incident metrics.
How many exercises are in this module?
This module has 15 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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Every exercise is written by the CoderSlingo team, drawing on real workplace English used in IT roles, then reviewed for accuracy and clarity.