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Which sentence given below is grammatically acceptable

AMuch water has flown under the bridge since it was build

BMy neighbors i te ds to buy a house

COne of the girl jumped into the pond

DThe minister along wotb his wife is coming to visit us tomorrow

Answer:

D. The minister along wotb his wife is coming to visit us tomorrow

Read Explanation:

Grammatical Acceptability and Subject-Verb Agreement

  • The core grammatical principle tested here is subject-verb agreement, particularly when the subject is accompanied by a prepositional phrase or an intervening clause introduced by phrases like 'along with', 'together with', 'as well as', 'in addition to', etc.
  • In such constructions, the verb must agree with the main subject of the sentence, irrespective of the noun or pronoun that follows in the intervening phrase.
  • Example: In the sentence 'The minister along with his wife is coming...', the main subject is 'The minister' (singular). The phrase 'along with his wife' is an adjunct and does not affect the number of the subject.
  • Therefore, the verb must be singular to agree with 'The minister'. The singular verb 'is coming' is correctly used.
  • Common Pitfall: A frequent error is to make the verb agree with the noun in the intervening phrase, which is grammatically incorrect. For instance, if the phrase was 'The minister and his wife...', then the subject would be compound and require a plural verb ('are coming'). However, phrases like 'along with' do not create a compound subject.
  • Exam Relevance: Questions on subject-verb agreement are very common in competitive exams. Pay close attention to the actual subject of the sentence and ignore phrases that do not form part of a compound subject.

Analysis of Other Potential Options (Illustrative)

  • If an option were 'The minister along with his wife are coming...', it would be incorrect because 'are' is a plural verb, and the subject 'The minister' is singular.
  • If an option were 'The minister and his wife is coming...', it would be incorrect because 'and' joins the two nouns to form a compound subject, which requires a plural verb ('are coming').

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