5 exercises — master tricky subject-verb agreement patterns that commonly appear in technical documentation: complex noun phrases, correlative conjunctions, and collective nouns.
0 / 15 completed
1 / 15
The list of deprecated endpoints ___ available in the migration guide.
When "the [noun] of [plural noun]" is the subject, the verb agrees with the HEAD noun (the first noun), not the noun in the prepositional phrase. "The list" is the head noun — it is singular → "is." Ignoring "of deprecated endpoints," the subject is "the list." This is a very common error in technical writing: "the number of requests is..." (singular), "a set of requirements is..." (singular), "the group of microservices is..." (singular). Exception: "a number of" (meaning "several") takes a plural: "A number of bugs were found."
2 / 15
Neither the staging environment nor the production servers ___ been updated yet.
With "neither...nor" (and "either...or"), the verb agrees with the subject CLOSEST to it — this is the "proximity rule." "...nor the production servers have" → the closest subject is "the production servers" (plural) → plural verb "have." If the order were reversed ("neither the production servers nor the staging environment"), the answer would be "has" (singular). This is the standard rule for correlative conjunctions in formal technical English.
3 / 15
The data ___ stored in three separate regional clusters to ensure redundancy.
In technical and computing English, "data" is most commonly treated as an uncountable noun (singular): "the data is stored," "the data shows," "this data was corrupted." In formal academic writing, "data are" is grammatically strict (data = Latin plural of datum), but in technical documentation, engineering teams, and most professional IT communication, "data is" is universally accepted and preferred. Using "data are" in engineering contexts sounds overly formal and is unusual in modern usage.
4 / 15
The number of failed requests per minute ___ increased significantly since the last deployment.
"The number of" + plural noun takes a SINGULAR verb: "the number of failed requests has increased." This is different from "a number of" (meaning "several"), which takes a plural: "A number of requests have failed." Mnemonic: "The number" = one specific count (singular); "a number" = some unspecified quantity (plural). In monitoring and SRE dashboards: "The number of 5xx errors has exceeded the threshold," "The number of active connections is dropping."
5 / 15
Every microservice, every database, and every load balancer ___ included in the disaster recovery plan.
When "every" precedes each item in a compound subject connected by "and," the subject is treated as singular and takes a singular verb: "Every microservice, every database, and every load balancer is included." The word "every" forces singular agreement regardless of the compound structure. Compare: "Every engineer and every manager is responsible." This differs from plain compound subjects without "every": "The microservice, the database, and the load balancer are included" (plural).
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Code Review Comment: 'The API response from the authentication service is returning a 403 error. It seems that the user's permissions haven't been properly set in the database.' Which sentence best reflects this situation, considering subject-verb agreement?
This question tests the agreement between a singular subject ('permission') and a verb. The core issue is that 'permission' refers to one specific authorization level, so it takes the negative form of 'isn't'. Options A and B incorrectly use plural forms; option C uses incorrect tense, and option D presents an entirely different scenario.
7 / 15
Slack Message: 'We've identified a potential bottleneck in the processing pipeline. The number of queued requests is exceeding our expected limits.' What is the most accurate phrasing to complete this message regarding subject-verb agreement?
This question focuses on the agreement between 'number' (a countable noun) and 'are'. The word 'number' refers to a single quantity. Using 'were' would be incorrect as it implies multiple numbers. Option A uses incorrect tense; option C is unnecessarily verbose; and option D incorrectly uses 'is' with a plural subject.
8 / 15
PR Description: 'The new caching layer has been implemented to improve response times. The system now stores frequently accessed data locally.' How should the sentence be revised for correct subject-verb agreement?
This question tests the agreement between 'system' (a singular noun) and 'has'. 'System' is a single entity. Therefore, it requires the singular form of the verb 'has'. Option A uses incorrect tense; option C incorrectly uses 'has' with a plural subject; and option D presents a grammatically nonsensical construction.
9 / 15
Standup Update: 'The team is investigating the recent increase in latency. We're analyzing logs to pinpoint the source of the issue.' What is the correct subject-verb agreement phrasing?
This question examines the agreement between 'team' (a singular collective noun) and 'is'. When 'team' is treated as a single unit performing an action, it takes a singular verb. Option A incorrectly uses 'are'; option C uses incorrect tense; and option D presents a grammatically incorrect construction.
10 / 15
API Response: The server responded with the following message: 'The database connection failed. A new connection was established.' Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?
This question tests the agreement between 'connection' (a singular noun) and 'has'. The verb 'has' is used to indicate a completed action – the failure. Options A uses incorrect tense; option B presents an unnecessarily complex sentence; option C incorrectly uses 'is failing'; and option D describes a continuing state, not a completed event.
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Code Review Comment: 'The API response from the authentication service is returning a 403 error. It seems that the user's permissions haven't been properly set in the database.' Which sentence best reflects this situation, considering subject-verb agreement?
This question tests the agreement between a singular subject ('permission') and a verb. The core issue is that 'permission' refers to one specific authorization level, so it takes the negative form of 'isn't'. Options A and B incorrectly use plural forms; option C uses incorrect tense, and option D presents an entirely different scenario.
12 / 15
Slack Message: 'We've identified a potential bottleneck in the processing pipeline. The number of queued requests is exceeding our expected limits.' What is the most accurate phrasing to complete this message regarding subject-verb agreement?
This question focuses on the agreement between 'number' (a countable noun) and 'are'. The word 'number' refers to a single quantity. Using 'were' would be incorrect as it implies multiple numbers. Option A uses incorrect tense; option C is unnecessarily verbose; and option D incorrectly uses 'is' with a plural subject.
13 / 15
PR Description: 'The new caching layer has been implemented to improve response times. The system now stores frequently accessed data locally.' How should the sentence be revised for correct subject-verb agreement?
This question tests the agreement between 'system' (a singular noun) and 'has'. 'System' is a single entity. Therefore, it requires the singular form of the verb 'has'. Option A uses incorrect tense; option C incorrectly uses 'has' with a plural subject; and option D presents a grammatically nonsensical construction.
14 / 15
Standup Update: 'The team is investigating the recent increase in latency. We're analyzing logs to pinpoint the source of the issue.' What is the correct subject-verb agreement phrasing?
This question examines the agreement between 'team' (a singular collective noun) and 'is'. When 'team' is treated as a single unit performing an action, it takes a singular verb. Option A incorrectly uses 'are'; option C uses incorrect tense; and option D presents a grammatically incorrect construction.
15 / 15
API Response: The server responded with the following message: 'The database connection failed. A new connection was established.' Which sentence demonstrates correct subject-verb agreement?
This question tests the agreement between 'connection' (a singular noun) and 'has'. The verb 'has' is used to indicate a completed action – the failure. Options A uses incorrect tense; option B presents an unnecessarily complex sentence; option C incorrectly uses 'is failing'; and option D describes a continuing state, not a completed event.
What will I practise in "Subject-Verb Agreement in Technical English — Grammar Exercises"?
Practise complex subject-verb agreement in technical English: "the list of," "neither/nor," "data is/are," "the number of," and "every.
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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Articles explain grammar rules in prose; this exercise tests and reinforces those rules through active recall with immediate feedback — the two work best together.
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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.