Politics are so polarized these days — or should that be politics IS so polarized? — that it's hard to reach an agreement on anything. Don't believe me? Try this quiz on subject-verb agreement:

No. 1: Bad weather is one of the many problems that (is, are) delaying construction.

No. 2: Franks and beans (is, are) on the menu.

No. 3: The 1920s (was, were) known for jazz, bootlegging and prosperity.

No. 4: Offer after offer made by the developers (was, were) rejected by the landowner.

No. 5: Two plus two (is, are) four.

No. 6: Twenty minutes (elapses, elapse) faster than you think.

No. 7: Ancient and modern democracy (differs, differ) in many respects.

No. 8: A number of people (has, have) inquired about the party.

No. 9: The bride's brother, as well as several of her cousins, (is, are) planning to offer a toast.

No. 10: The pain and suffering experienced during the Civil War (was, were) unimaginable.

Answers:

No. 1: are — In constructions using "one of the" or "one of those," you should reverse the sentence to determine the verb: "Of the many problems that are delaying construction, bad weather is one."

No. 2: is — When two nouns linked by "and" denote a pair regarded as a single entity, treat them as a singular, e.g., macaroni and cheese, ham and eggs.

No. 3: were — Decades referred to as a number usually take plural verbs.

No. 4: was — In "item-after-item" constructions, use a singular verb.

No. 5: is or are — The familiar phrase "Two plus two" may be considered a singular concept or as two distinct numbers.

No. 6: elapses — Units of time, such as "twenty minutes" or "four hours," as well as other units of measure (four miles, 40 pounds) take singular verbs.

No.7: differ — Because the word "democracy" is implied following "Ancient," the plural verb "differ" should be used. ("Ancient democracy and modern democracy differ.")

No. 8: have — Though technically "number" is singular, the plurality of the intervening phrase "of people" makes it more logical and natural to use a plural verb.

No. 9: is — The insertion of phrases beginning with "accompanied by," "along with," "coupled with," "as well as," "added to," and "together with" does not affect the grammatical number of the subject.

No. 10: was — When two subjects joined by "and" express a single idea ("pain and suffering"), they take a singular verb.

And as for "politics," this noun may be either singular or plural, hence "Politics is so polarized" or "Politics are so polarized."

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

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