Question

Fill in the blank with a verb that agrees with the subject and not with the complement:
The players, as well as the audience _____ to enjoy the match. [Advanced]

• A. wants
• B. was wanting
• C. want
• D. is wanting

Answer 1

The correct option is C want

In order to fill in the blank with the most appropriate verb, we must understand the 'subject and verb agreement'. A subject is a person, thing, or a concept, in a sentence. A sentence always describes a person, thing or a concept and that is called 'subject' of the sentence. The rest of the sentence is a complement (which has the object in it). A subject and a verb should always agree in a sentence. If the subject is singular (example: Raj), the verb will also be singular (does). If the subject is plural (We), the verb will also be plural (do).

NOTE: As the sentence is mainly about 'the players', we can say that the subject is plural.

Option A - 'Wants' is a singular verb and as the subject is plural, we can't use 'wants' here. Hence, option A is incorrect.

Option B - 'Was wanting' is a singular verb with a participle verb. Hence, option B is incorrect.

Option D - 'Is wanting' is a singular verb with a participle verb. Hence, option D is incorrect.

Option C - 'Want' is a plural verb, which supports the tense (simple present tense) of the sentence. Hence, option C is the correct answer.

'The players, as well as the audience want to enjoy the match.'