Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement with 'as well as'
The sentence "He as well as his brothers were present" tests our understanding of subject-verb agreement, particularly when using connecting phrases like 'as well as'.
The rule is that when subjects are joined by phrases such as 'as well as', 'along with', 'together with', 'in addition to', or 'accompanied by', the verb agrees with the first subject.
In the given sentence:
- The first subject is 'He', which is singular.
- The phrase connecting the subjects is 'as well as'.
- The noun phrase following is 'his brothers', which is plural.
According to the rule, the verb must agree with the first subject, 'He'. Therefore, the verb should be singular.
Analyzing the Sentence Parts
| Sentence Part | Grammatical Role / Observation | Agreement Check |
|---|---|---|
| He as well as | The initial subject phrase. 'He' is singular. | Correct. |
| his brothers | Part of the prepositional phrase following 'as well as'. It does not determine the verb number. | Correct. |
| were present | The verb phrase. 'were' is a plural verb. | Incorrect. The verb should be singular to agree with 'He'. |
| No error | Indicates the sentence is grammatically sound. | Incorrect, as there is a verb agreement error. |
Explanation of the Error
The verb 'were' is plural, while the main subject 'He' is singular. Phrases like 'as well as' do not make the subject plural. The verb must agree with the singular subject 'He'. The correct verb form should be the singular 'was'.
Therefore, the grammatically correct sentence would be: "He as well as his brothers was present."
The incorrect part of the sentence is the verb phrase 'were present'.
Similar Questions
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