Half the apples_________ on the floor,

Question

but some of them ________ on the table.

are, are
is is
is are,
are is

We could neet the man who _________ all loans if the manager _________ here.

approves, was
approve, were
approve, was
approves, were

Half the apples_________ on the floor,
but some of them ________ on the table.

are, are
is is
is are,
are is

We could neet the man who _________ all loans if the manager _________ here.

approves, was
approve, were
approve, was
approves, were

In the first sentence, the word "half" is the puzzler. Because "apples" is plural and we can envision several apples on the floor, the correct verb is the plural verb, "are." "Some" always takes a plural verb.

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It's the second verb in the second sentence that is often misused. "if the manager were here" is correct. Verbs following "if" should be in the subjunctive mode.
The first verb in this sentence should be singular (approves) to agree with "man."

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