त्वरित लिंक्स
English Language
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In advanced English syntax and syntactic agreement, the relation between a subject and its finite verb is governed by complex structural principles, proximity rules, and semantic nuances. Consider the following four advanced propositions regarding Subject-Verb Agreement (Syntax): I. When two singular subject nominals are joined by correlative coordinating conjunctions such as 'either... or', 'neither... nor', or 'not only... but also', the finite verb must always automatically default to the plural form regardless of the morphosyntactic number of the immediately preceding noun phrase, to satisfy the principle of symmetrical coordination. II. When a singular subject is modified by post-phrasal prepositional adjuncts introduced by expressions of accompaniment such as 'accompanied by', 'together with', 'along with', or 'as well as', the governing finite verb agrees exclusively with the primary head noun, remaining in the singular even if the nominal object of the preposition is plural (e.g., 'The CEO, together with all the regional managers, was present at the board meeting'). III. Collective nouns (such as 'committee', 'jury', 'audience', 'family') invariably trigger plural verbal agreement across all dialects of standard English, because every collective entity is conceptually composed of multiple individual human agents acting independently. IV. In pseudo-citative structures and existential sentences introduced by the dummy pro-form 'there' (e.g., 'There ______ several critical issues requiring immediate attention'), the finite auxiliary verb agrees with the dummy subject 'there' in person and number, meaning it must always take the third-person singular form 'is' or 'was' if the initial matrix clause requires a singular copula. Identify the option that correctly evaluates the syntactic and grammatical validity of propositions I, II, III, and IV according to standard English grammar and Agreement principles.
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Detailed Explanation
Proposition II is correct because parenthetical or prepositional adjuncts introduced by 'together with', 'along with', or 'as well as' do not form part of the grammatical subject coordinate structure; thus, the verb agrees strictly with the head noun ('CEO'). Proposition I is false because correlative conjunctions like 'either... or' or 'neither... nor' follow the 'Rule of Proximity', where the verb agrees with the nearest subject nominal. Proposition III is false because collective nouns can take either singular (when viewed as a single, unified entity) or plural (when members act as individuals) agreement depending on notional concord. Proposition IV is false because in 'there'-existential sentences, 'there' is merely a dummy subject placeholder, and the true agreement is controlled by the following real post-verbal noun phrase ('several critical issues'), requiring a plural verb ('were'). For further details, consult Agreement principles on Wikipedia.
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