Question 106·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
Dr. Maria Gomez, along with several research assistants, ______ presenting the findings at the conference tomorrow.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For subject-verb agreement questions, first strip away interrupting phrases like "along with," "as well as," or anything between commas, and find the core subject and verb. Decide if the subject is singular or plural, then quickly eliminate any verb forms that do not match that number. Finally, use time clues in the sentence (such as "yesterday," "now," or "tomorrow") to choose the verb tense that fits the timing of the action. Working in this order—subject, number, then tense—helps you move quickly and avoid being misled by nearby plural nouns.
Hints
Find the true subject
Cover up the phrase between the commas ("along with several research assistants"). What is the main person or thing left that is doing the action?
Decide if the subject is singular or plural
Ask yourself: does the subject refer to one person/thing or more than one? The verb must match that choice.
Use the time clue
Look at the word "tomorrow." Does it suggest something happening in the past, happening now, or planned for the future? Pick the verb form that best fits that time.
Eliminate by agreement and tense
Cross out any verb choice that does not match a singular subject or does not fit with an event that is planned for tomorrow.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the main subject of the sentence
Ignore the blank for a moment and focus on who is doing the action. The sentence begins with "Dr. Maria Gomez, along with several research assistants, ..." The main subject here is "Dr. Maria Gomez", which is singular.
Recognize and ignore the interrupting phrase
The words "along with several research assistants" are extra information, like a side note. They do not change the subject into something plural. Even though "assistants" is plural, the subject of the verb is still the single person Dr. Gomez.
Match the verb number (singular vs. plural)
Because the subject "Dr. Maria Gomez" is singular, the verb must also be singular. A singular subject takes a singular verb form like "is" or "was," not plural forms like "are" or "have been." This lets you eliminate all verb forms that only work with plural subjects.
Check the time reference (tense) and choose the best verb
The phrase "tomorrow" shows that the action is a planned future event. In English, we often describe scheduled or planned future actions using the present progressive, formed with the present tense of "to be" plus an -ing verb ("is presenting"). Among the choices, the only verb that is both singular and in the correct tense for a planned future action is "is", so the correct answer is B) is.