1. Billiards ________ (be) an interesting game.

2. Neither the plates nor the serving bowl __________ (go) on that shelf. (goes)
Neither the serving bowl nor the plates __________ (go) on that shelf. (go)
The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to
it.
3. Breaking and entering __________ (be) against the law. (is – it’s a compound noun)
Excitement, as well as nervousness, __________ (be) the cause of her shaking. (is)

Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as along with, as well as, besides, not, etc.
These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject
is singular.

4. Three miles __________ (be) too far to walk. is

Five years __________ (be) the maximum sentence for that offense. is
Ten dollars __________ (be) a high price to pay. Is

Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when considered as a unit.

Ten dollars (i.e., dollar bills) __________ (be) scattered on the floor. Were

5. A lot of the pies _________ (have) disappeared. (have)

Fifty percent of the pies __________ (have) disappeared. (have)
A lot of the pie __________(have) disappeared. (has)
All of the pie __________ (be) gone. (is)
All of the pies __________ (be) gone. (are)
Some of the pie __________ (be) missing. (is)
Some of the pies __________ (be) missing. (are)

With words that indicate portions—e.g., a lot, a majority, percent, some, all, we are guided by the noun
after of. If the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

6. 20% of the gasses we breathe _________ oxygen. (are)

The verb always agrees with the noun which follows 'of' - in this case 'gasses'

7. The crew _________ (be) on board already. They are waiting in their seats. (are) (While it's true
that 'crew' can be singular or plural, the second sentence identifies the crew as 'they'. This
means that the first sentence is incorrect. Alternatively, the crew is it and so the second
sentence is incorrect!)
8. Only one of the dogs __________ (have) ever had a vaccination. (has)

Expressions with 'one', regardless of whether they contain singular or plural nouns take a singular
verb.

9. Two thirds of the people who attended __________ (be) late. (was)
The verb always agrees with the noun which follows 'of' - in this case 'people'
10. The committee, who __________ (have) been so successful up to now, __________ (have) not been
able to agree.
'Committee' can be singular (with a singular verb) or plural (with a plural verb) with little
difference. However, if 'committee' is singular then it needs 'which' as a pronoun in a relative
clause. If it is plural, it needs 'who'. In this case, 'committee' is plural (they).
11. The herd of horses __________ (gallop) wildly across the field. Gallops
12. The hockey players and the mascot __________ (volunteer) at the school. Volunteer
The compound subject the hockey players and the mascot is
plural, so the verb needs to be plural (volunteer).
The hockey players or the mascot ___________ (volunteer) at the school. Volunteers
When the subjects are joined by or, the verb agrees with the closer
subject. In this case, the verb must be singular (volunteers) to
agree with mascot.
13. The percentage of employees who called in sick and the number of employees who left their jobs
within 2 years __________ (be) reflective of the level of job satisfaction.
When the subject of the sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by
and, use a plural verb.
14. Each of the participants __________ (be) willing to be recorded. (was)
The words and phrases "each," "each one," "either," "neither," "everyone," "everybody,"
"anyone," "anybody," "nobody," "somebody," "someone," and "no one" are singular and
require a singular verb.
Neither alternative hypothesis __________ (be) accepted. (was)
She asked me whether either of the applicants __________ (be) suitable. (was)
15. The Mayor, with his assistant, __________ (be) present in the room. (is)
Words joined to a singular subject by with, as well as, along with, including, in addition to, besides,
accompanied by, together with etc., are parenthetical .The verb should therefore be put in the
singular.
16. The child’s hair _________ curly. (was)
Be careful with the noun hair which is normally uncountable in English, so it is not used in the plural.
It can be countable only when referring to individual hairs.
She has long blond hair.
The child's hair was curly.
I washed my hair yesterday.
My father is getting a few grey hairs now. (refers to individual hairs)
I found a hair in my soup! (refers to a single strand of hair)
17. Sixty minutes ____________ (be) in an hour. (are)
if you want the expression to mean separate items, use a plural verb: