Question 211·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
The committee, along with several volunteers, _____ donating time and resources to restore the neighborhood park.
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 set off by commas (such as "along with," "in addition to," or "as well as") to find the true subject. Decide if that subject is singular or plural, then match it with a verb that has the same number and an appropriate tense for the time implied by the sentence. Quickly test each choice by reading the sentence with just the core subject and verb to hear which one sounds grammatically correct.
Hints
Find the real subject
Cover or ignore the phrase between the commas ("along with several volunteers") and read what’s left. What noun is doing the action?
Check singular vs. plural
Decide whether that main noun is singular or plural. Then look for a verb form that matches that number.
Consider the time of the action
Is the sentence talking about something happening now, in the past, or over an extended time leading up to now? Choose the verb tense that best fits the time implied by "donating."
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the sentence’s true subject
Ignore the phrase between commas: "along with several volunteers." The core of the sentence is "The committee _____ donating time and resources..." The subject here is committee, which is a collective noun treated as singular in Standard American English when acting as a single unit.
Match the verb number to the subject
Because committee is singular, the verb must also be singular. This rules out verbs that are clearly plural in form. Also, pay attention that the rest of the sentence uses the present-time idea (no time markers like last year or in the past), so the verb should fit present tense.
Analyze the choices by number and tense
Go through the options:
- are – present tense plural form
- were – past tense (usually plural)
- have been – present perfect, used with plural subjects (or "I/you")
- is – present tense singular form Only one choice is both singular and present, which correctly matches the singular subject "committee" and the ongoing action "donating." The correct answer is D) is.