Use of English – English Grammar Exercises for B2
Your friend is applying for a senior marketing position and has asked you to proofread their cover letter. You notice several sentences where the verb does not correctly match the subject. Choose the correct option (A, B, C, or D) to fix the grammar and make the cover letter sound professional and accurate.
1 Draft: The implementation of these new marketing strategies have improved sales.
Correction: The implementation of these new marketing strategies ______ sales significantly.
(A) has improved
(B) have improved
(C) have been improving
(D) has improve
2 Draft: Managing multiple international projects and tight deadlines require excellent organizational skills.
Correction: Managing multiple international projects and tight deadlines ______ excellent organizational skills.
(A) require
(B) requires
(C) are requiring
(D) have required
3 Draft: My background in finance, together with my IT skills, provide a unique advantage.
Correction: My background in finance, together with my IT skills, ______ a unique advantage for this role.
(A) provide
(B) are providing
(C) provides
(D) have provided
4 Draft: Attached to this email is my resume and portfolio for your review.
Correction: Attached to this email ______ my resume and portfolio for your review.
(A) is
(B) are
(C) has been
(D) was
5 Draft: The number of successful campaigns I handled have doubled this year.
Correction: The number of successful campaigns I handled ______ this year.
(A) has doubled
(B) have doubled
(C) are doubling
(D) double
6 Draft: Every client and partner were satisfied with the new software interface.
Correction: Every client and partner ______ satisfied with the new software interface.
(A) were
(B) was
(C) have been
(D) are
7 Draft: Five years of professional experience in digital marketing make me a suitable candidate.
Correction: Five years of professional experience in digital marketing ______ me a highly suitable candidate.
(A) make
(B) makes
(C) are making
(D) have made
8 Draft: Not only my technical expertise but also my communication skills makes me an ideal fit.
Correction: Not only my technical expertise but also my communication skills ______ me an ideal fit for your team.
(A) makes
(B) make
(C) is making
(D) has made
9 Draft: One of the most significant achievements in my career were increasing website traffic by 50%.
Correction: One of the most significant achievements in my career ______ increasing website traffic by 50%.
(A) were
(B) are
(C) was
(D) have been
10 Draft: What I admire most about your firm are its core values and mission.
Correction: What I admire most about your firm ______ its core values and mission.
(A) are
(B) is
(C) have been
(D) were
11 Draft: A thorough understanding of SEO algorithms and data analytics are essential for this position.
Correction: A thorough understanding of SEO algorithms and data analytics ______ essential for this position.
(A) are
(B) is
(C) have been
(D) be
12 Draft: Neither my previous supervisor nor my colleagues doubts my leadership abilities.
Correction: Neither my previous supervisor nor my colleagues ______ my leadership abilities.
(A) doubt
(B) doubts
(C) is doubting
(D) has doubted
13 Draft: Each of the monthly financial reports were thoroughly reviewed by me.
Correction: Each of the monthly financial reports ______ thoroughly reviewed by me.
(A) were
(B) are
(C) was
(D) have been
14 Draft: The majority of the customer feedback indicate a high level of satisfaction.
Correction: The majority of the customer feedback ______ a high level of satisfaction with my service.
(A) indicate
(B) indicates
(C) are indicating
(D) have indicated
15 Draft: A great deal of research and strategic planning go into every proposal I write.
Correction: A great deal of research and strategic planning ______ into every proposal I write.
(A) go
(B) goes
(C) are going
(D) have gone
16 Draft: The founder and lead developer of the app were my direct mentor.
Correction: The founder and lead developer of the app ______ my direct mentor.
(A) were
(B) was
(C) are
(D) have been
17 Draft: Solving complex logistical problems and resolving client complaints comes naturally to me.
Correction: Solving complex logistical problems and resolving client complaints ______ naturally to me.
(A) come
(B) comes
(C) is coming
(D) has come
18 Draft: A wide variety of software tools is familiar to me.
Correction: A wide variety of software tools ______ familiar to me due to my previous roles.
(A) is
(B) are
(C) was
(D) has been
19 Draft: There has been several instances where I successfully managed crisis situations.
Correction: There ______ several instances where I successfully managed crisis situations.
(A) has been
(B) have been
(C) was
(D) is
20 Draft: Less than half of the original budget were spent on the advertising campaign.
Correction: Less than half of the original budget ______ spent on the advertising campaign.
(A) were
(B) was
(C) are
(D) have been
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (A) has improved
Explanation: The true subject is the singular noun “implementation”. The phrase “of these new marketing strategies” is just a prepositional phrase modifying the subject. Therefore, the verb must be singular (“has”).
2 (B) requires
Explanation: When a gerund phrase (“Managing multiple international projects and tight deadlines”) acts as the subject of a sentence, it is always treated as singular.
3 (C) provides
Explanation: Phrases like “together with”, “along with”, “as well as”, and “in addition to” do NOT make a subject plural. The main subject is the singular “My background”, so the verb must be singular (“provides”).
4 (B) are
Explanation: This is an inverted sentence. The true subject comes after the verb. The subject is “my resume and portfolio” (plural), so the verb must be “are”.
5 (A) has doubled
Explanation: The phrase “The number of [plural noun]” takes a singular verb because it refers to the specific mathematical figure. (Conversely, “A number of” means “many” and takes a plural verb).
6 (B) was
Explanation: When compound subjects are preceded by “Every” or “Each”, they are treated as singular. Therefore, “Every client and partner” takes the singular verb “was”.
7 (B) makes
Explanation: Expressions representing a specific period of time, an amount of money, or a distance are treated as a single collective unit. “Five years of professional experience” is a single block of time, so it takes a singular verb.
8 (B) make
Explanation: With correlative conjunctions like “Not only… but also”, “Neither… nor”, and “Either… or”, the verb must agree with the subject closest to it. The closest subject is “my communication skills” (plural), so the verb is “make”.
9 (C) was
Explanation: The subject is “One”. The phrase “of the most significant achievements in my career” is a prepositional phrase. “One” is singular, so the verb is “was”.
10 (B) is
Explanation: When a noun clause (like “What I admire most about your firm”) acts as the subject, it takes a singular verb.
11 (B) is
Explanation: The true subject is the singular noun “understanding”. The phrase “of SEO algorithms and data analytics” is a prepositional modifier.
12 (A) doubt
Explanation: Using the Proximity Rule for “Neither… nor”, the verb agrees with the closest noun. “Colleagues” is plural, so the verb is “doubt”.
13 (C) was
Explanation: The subject is the indefinite pronoun “Each”, which is always singular. Ignore the plural noun “reports” inside the prepositional phrase.
14 (B) indicates
Explanation: Words like “majority”, “some”, “all”, and “half” take a singular or plural verb depending on the noun that follows them. “Feedback” is an uncountable (singular) noun, so the verb is singular (“indicates”).
15 (B) goes
Explanation: “A great deal of” is used with uncountable nouns. “Research and strategic planning” are treated here as a singular, abstract concept of effort, taking the singular verb “goes”.
16 (B) was
Explanation: When a compound subject refers to the exact same person, it takes a singular verb. The single article “The” before “founder and lead developer” indicates this is one person holding two titles.
17 (B) comes
Explanation: Similar to question 2, the compound gerund phrase (“Solving… and resolving…”) represents a single unified skillset or abstract concept acting as the subject, thus taking a singular verb.
18 (B) are
Explanation: Unlike “The number of”, the phrase “A variety of” followed by a plural noun takes a plural verb. Therefore, “A wide variety of software tools are…” is correct.
19 (B) have been
Explanation: In sentences beginning with “There is/There are”, the verb agrees with the noun that follows it. “Several instances” is plural, so the correct choice is “There have been”.
20 (B) was
Explanation: Fractional expressions (“Less than half of”) depend on the noun that follows. “Budget” is singular, so the verb must be singular (“was”).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When proofreading professional documents like Cover Letters or taking the FCE exam, always identify the TRUE SUBJECT before checking the verb. Beware of these three classic traps:
1 The Prepositional Phrase Trap:
Never let a plural noun inside a prepositional phrase trick you into using a plural verb if the head noun is singular.
- Incorrect: The implementation of these new marketing strategies have improved sales.
- Correct: The implementation of these new marketing strategies has improved sales.
2 The Compound Subject Exception (“As well as” & “Together with”):
Words added to a singular subject using along with, as well as, or together with do NOT make the subject plural.
- Incorrect: My background, together with my IT skills, provide an advantage.
- Correct: My background, together with my IT skills, provides an advantage.
3 The Proximity Rule (Neither/Nor, Either/Or, Not only/But also):
When subjects are joined by these pairs, the verb always matches the noun closest to it.
- Example: Not only my technical expertise but also my communication skills make me an ideal fit.
- Example: Neither my colleagues nor my supervisor doubts my abilities.