Understanding Subject-Verb Agreement

The original sentence is: "The weather reports is prepared by the Meteorological Department of the Government." We need to identify the most appropriate option to substitute the underlined segment 'is prepared'.

The key to correcting this sentence lies in understanding subject-verb agreement. This rule states that the verb in a sentence must agree in number (singular or plural) with its subject.

Identifying the Subject and Verb

• The subject of the sentence is "The weather reports".
• The main verb phrase describing the subject is "is prepared".

Let's look at the subject, "weather reports". The word "reports" is a plural noun. Therefore, the subject is plural.

According to the rule of subject-verb agreement, a plural subject requires a plural verb.

Analyzing the Original Verb Phrase 'is prepared'

The verb phrase "is prepared" uses the singular form of the 'be' verb, which is "is". This does not agree with the plural subject "weather reports". The sentence is also in the passive voice, indicated by the structure 'be verb' + 'past participle' (is + prepared).

Evaluating the Options for Correct Substitution

Let's examine each option provided:

1. prepared: This is just the past participle. While "prepared" is correct for the passive voice structure, it is missing the necessary 'be' verb. A passive sentence needs a form of 'be' before the past participle. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
2. is prepare: This option uses the singular 'be' verb "is", which does not agree with the plural subject "weather reports". Also, "prepare" is the base form of the verb, not the past participle ("prepared") required for the passive voice. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
3. are prepared: This option uses the plural 'be' verb "are", which correctly agrees with the plural subject "weather reports". It is followed by the past participle "prepared", forming the correct structure for the passive voice (plural 'be' verb + past participle). This option correctly substitutes the underlined segment.
4. No substitution required: As analysed earlier, the original sentence "The weather reports is prepared..." contains a subject-verb agreement error because the plural subject "weather reports" is followed by the singular verb "is prepared". Therefore, substitution is required. This option is incorrect.

Conclusion on Subject-Verb Agreement

The plural subject "weather reports" requires a plural verb form. In the passive voice structure used here, the plural 'be' verb is "are". Thus, the correct phrase is "are prepared".

The corrected sentence should read: "The weather reports are prepared by the Meteorological Department of the Government."

Option 3, "are prepared", correctly fixes the subject-verb agreement error and maintains the passive voice structure appropriately for the plural subject "weather reports".

Revision Table: Subject-Verb Agreement for Plural Subjects

Additional Information on Passive Voice and Verb Forms

The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action being performed rather than the performer of the action. Its structure is typically: Subject + form of 'be' + past participle of the main verb.

In our sentence, "The weather reports are prepared by the Meteorological Department...", the focus is on the reports being prepared, not on the Meteorological Department (the doer). The Meteorological Department is mentioned in a 'by' phrase.

Let's look at the different forms of the verb 'prepare' and the verb 'be' in the present tense:

• Base form of prepare: prepare
• Past participle of prepare: prepared
• Present forms of 'be' (singular): am, is
• Present forms of 'be' (plural): are

To form the present tense passive voice with a plural subject like "weather reports", you need the plural form of 'be' ("are") followed by the past participle of the main verb ("prepared"). This gives us "are prepared".