<u>With regard to interior decoration, it is the attention given to the less overt aspects of using space</u> <u>that give it life, an identity, a quality</u> <u>that makes it exciting and unusual.</u> <u>No error</u>
- (a)With regard to interior decoration, it is the attention given to the less overt aspects of using space
- (b)that give it life, an identity, a quality
- (c)that makes it exciting and unusual.
- (d)No error
Correct — B, that give it life, an identity, a quality. The sentence is built on the pattern 'it is ... that', and the noun in focus is 'the attention', which is singular, so the verb after 'that' must be 'gives'. The plural 'give' has been pulled in by the nearby plural 'aspects', which is not the subject at all.
- (a)With regard to interior decoration, it is the attention given to the less overt aspects of using space — The opening phrase is correct, and 'given to the less overt aspects of using space' is a shortened relative clause describing 'the attention', so nothing here needs changing.
- (c)that makes it exciting and unusual. — This clause describes 'a quality', which is singular, and the singular verb 'makes' agrees with it correctly.
- (d)No error — There is an error, because the verb in the second part does not agree with the singular noun the sentence is focusing on.
In a sentence of the pattern 'it is X that ...', the verb after 'that' agrees with X, not with whatever noun happens to stand nearest to it.
Part (c) of the same sentence gives the game away. 'That makes it exciting and unusual' is singular because 'a quality' is singular; applying the same principle to 'the attention' should have produced 'gives' in part (b), and the mismatch between the two is the quickest way to see the fault.
- A verb agrees with the head noun of its subject, not with a noun sitting inside a phrase that follows it.
- 'Attention' is uncountable here and takes a singular verb.
- The words in between — 'given to the less overt aspects of using space' — do not change the agreement.
- Agreeing the verb with the plural noun nearest to it.
Asked as an error-detection item where the agreement has been drawn to the wrong noun.
Every one (a) of the boys (b) love to ride (c). No error (d)
- (a) Every one
- (b) of the boys
- (c) love to ride
- (d) No error
Answer(c) love to ride
Same skill — the verb has been drawn to a plural noun sitting between the real subject and the verb. There 'Every one' is the subject and needs 'loves'; here 'the attention' is the subject and needs 'gives'.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which part contains the error — It is the quality of the materials / that decide the life of a building, / not the design alone. / No error
- (a)It is the quality of the materials
- (b)that decide the life of a building,
- (c)not the design alone.
- (d)No error
Answer(b) that decide the life of a building — 'quality' is singular, so the verb must be 'decides'.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which part contains the error — The list of successful candidates / were displayed / on the notice board. / No error
- (a)The list of successful candidates
- (b)were displayed
- (c)on the notice board.
- (d)No error
Answer(b) were displayed — the subject is 'the list', so 'was displayed'.