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
- Identify the error in the sentence.
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Important Questions from Error Spotting
Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine whether there is an error in any underlined part and indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter, i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
A honest mistake (a) / is no more than that; (b) / just an honest mistake. (c) / No error (d)Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter, i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
A company of five thousand soldiers , (a) / having marched tirelessly for over five days , (b) / have just moved into their cantonment . (c) / No error (d)Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine whether there is an error in any underlined part and indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter, i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
Every person who believes in principles (a) / must stand up to fight (b) / for their convictions . (c) / No error (d)Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine whether there is any error in any underlined part and indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter, i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
The Olympic Games reflects(a) / the highest spirit of (b) / human endeavour and achievement . (c) / No error (d)Direction: Each item in this section has a sentence with three underlined parts labelled (a), (b) and (c) Read each sentence to determine whether there is an error in any underlined part and indicate your response in the Answer Sheet against the corresponding letter, i.e., (a) or (b) or (c). If you find no error, your response should be indicated as (d).
The principal of the school (a) / stressed the need for discipline (b) / amongst the students. (c) / No error (d)
