Question
In which of the following sentences does the form of the verb agree with the compound subject?
A. Marley or Fred speaking to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?
B. Marley or Fred to speak to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?
C. Marley or Fred speaks to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?
D. Marley or Fred speak to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?
A. Marley or Fred speaking to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?
B. Marley or Fred to speak to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?
C. Marley or Fred speaks to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?
D. Marley or Fred speak to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct sentence in which the form of the verb agrees with the compound subject is:
**C. Marley or Fred speaks to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?**
In this case, "or" typically leads to a singular verb form. Since "Marley" and "Fred" are both singular, the verb "speaks" agrees with the singular subjects.
In option D, "speak" would be correct if the subjects were considered plural, but since "or" connects singular subjects, "speaks" is the appropriate choice. Options A and B do not correctly use the verb form in relation to the compound subject as they lack a subject-verb agreement.
**C. Marley or Fred speaks to Scrooge, but is the effort wasted?**
In this case, "or" typically leads to a singular verb form. Since "Marley" and "Fred" are both singular, the verb "speaks" agrees with the singular subjects.
In option D, "speak" would be correct if the subjects were considered plural, but since "or" connects singular subjects, "speaks" is the appropriate choice. Options A and B do not correctly use the verb form in relation to the compound subject as they lack a subject-verb agreement.