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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
As part of their development, caterpillars form a cocoon and eventually emerge as moths or butterflies. No error
This sentence's error is a problem with agreement of plurals. Multiple "caterpillars" should form multiple cocoons, but the sentence uses the singular noun "a cocoon," which doesn't make sense. "A cocoon" is thus the correct answer, and the corrected sentence reads, "As part of their development, caterpillars form cocoons and eventually emerge as moths or butterflies."
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Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera were both well-known and talented Mexican painter. No error
In this sentence, there are two individuals, both painters, so the object should reflect that number. The corrected sentence reads, "Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera were both well-known and talented Mexican painters."
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Dedication, hard work, and attention to detail are all an important factor in determining success. No error
As with pronouns, when a noun or group of nouns is replaced in a sentence by another noun, they must agree in number. The multiple subjects "Dedication," "work," and "attention" call for a plural word. A simple correction would be "important factors"
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Recognizing that the inhabitants of Earth suffered from many wars, disasters, and diseases, the aliens hoped to be welcomed as a savior. No error
This sentence lacks agreement between nouns. Since there are many aliens, “savior” should be plural. The corrected sentence reads, "Recognizing that the inhabitants of Earth suffered from many wars, disasters, and diseases, the aliens hoped to be welcomed as saviors."
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The professor decided that all of his students should become a fan of his favorite violinist, so he lent them CDs so that they could listen to the music. No error
"Students" is plural, so the plural word "fans" should be used in the sentence. However, the word used in the sentence as it is written is the singular “fan,” which is incorrect.
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All four of Martha’s children became a varsity athlete in high school; she was incredibly proud of her family. No error
Given that Martha has four children, the number of athletes should be plural. Therefore, “a varsity athlete” should be “varsity athletes."
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All of my classmates wanted to become a singer when they grew up, except for me. No error
There are multiple classmates described in the sentence. Therefore, there should also be multiple (or plural) singers. However, the word here is the singular, “singer,” which is incorrect.
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Two out of four teenagers who become addicted to drugs will go on to become a high school dropout. No error
Given that this sentence is talking about the fate of “two out of four teenagers,” multiple teenagers are being referred to. Therefore, “a high school dropout” should also be plural, and therefore read, “high school dropouts.”
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Polydactyl cats can have seven toes on each feet, a fact that makes me wonder whether the extra digits make it easier for them to scratch things. No error
The sentence uses the phrase "seven toes on each feet," and this is incorrect because "each" is used to describe a singular noun, but "feet" is plural. Changing "feet" to "foot" corrects this error.
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Reading, writing, and arithmetic are essential skill to learn in elementary school. No error
There is a discrepancy in the agreement of nouns in this sentence. "Reading, writing and arithmetic" require the plural form of "skill," "skills." Multiple subjects require a plural predicate to match their form. "Reading, writing, and arithmetic" are not being discussed as a unified group (which is an exception requiring a singular predicate), so the agreement must be plural, because several subjects are being discussed.
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I despise the chores that my mother asks me to do, but the act of pairing socks is by far the most tedious tasks. No error
In the clause "the act of pairing socks is by far the most tedious tasks," "act"and "tasks"are referring to the same thing, so "task"must be singular like "act"is. "Tasks"is plural and is therefore incorrect.
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Bob and Frank won the prize for first and second place in the elementary school baking contest. No error
This sentence refers to two prizes, first and second, for two people, Bob and Frank. The plural noun "prizes" should be used. The corrected sentence reads, "Bob and Frank won the prizes for first and second place in the elementary school baking contest."
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All of my sisters are a pediatrician, but I want to be a marine biologist. No error
Because there are multiple sisters, the noun that describes their profession ("pediatrician") should be plural; "a pediatrician" should thus be changed to "pediatricians."
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Alyssa asked all of her friends to become a member of the new intramural volleyball team, even though some of them were not good athletes. No error
The correct answer is "a member." Because Alyssa is asking "her friends," which is plural, the corresponding noun should also be plural—"members" instead of "member."
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Elena, Laura, and May want to go to the movie theater, but they don't have enough money to buy a ticket. No error
Since the sentence uses a compound subject—"Elena, Laura, and May" —the corresponding noun of "ticket" should be plural, since the three girls will need multiple tickets.
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Many people have great ideas, but without plans those ideas are just a harmless notion. No error
Because the plural "ideas" and the singular "a dream" have the same referent, both should be either singular or plural. Therefore, the best way to correct this sentence is to pluralize "a harmless notion."
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All of the farmer's chickens proved to be an excellent producer of eggs; he made quite a large profit due to their productivity. No error
"All of the" is inconsistent with the rest of that sentence, specifically "an excellent producer." These two nouns must agree in number, but they do not here. "All" should be changed to "Each" in order to maintain agreement with "an excellent producer," and the corrected sentence would read: "Each of the farmer's chickens proved to be an excellent producer..."
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The five best friends all vowed to become a great lawyer when they got older. NO ERROR
"The five best friends" are plural at the beginning of the sentence, we know that while each of them individually might become "a great lawyer" as a group, they would be vowing to become "great lawyers." As such, that part of the sentence should be corrected.
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Passionate about computers, Kevin and Roy decided to become a software engineer and start a company in their hometown. No error
The phrase "a software engineer" is incorrect because there are two subjects in the sentence. The subject is plural, so the phrase must also be plural. The correct phrase would be "software engineers."
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Watching the Olympic 5000m final, Bob was amazed at the runners' combination of endurance and running quickly. No error
The phrase "running quickly" does not have parallel structure with "endurance." In order for this sentence to be correct, and for the structure to be correctly parallel, the "runners' combination" must either be two traits, like "endurance and fortitude," or two verbs in the same tense.
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