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tea antioxidants

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tea antioxidants

by lukaswelker » Tue Apr 01, 2014 3:04 am
Hey Guys, here is the question

Most of the purported health benefits of tea comes from antioxidants-compounds also found in beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C that inhibit the formation of plaque along the body's blood vessels.

"¢comes from antioxidants-compounds also found in beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C that
"¢comes from antioxidants-compounds that are also found in beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C and they
"¢come from antioxidants-compounds also found in beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C and
"¢come from antioxidants-compounds that are also found in beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C and that
"¢come from antioxidants-compounds also found in beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C and they

Does anybody know why the correct answer as a singular verb form for ''come''?
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by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Apr 01, 2014 8:08 am
The question is testing SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT.

If you see a split between singular and plural verbs in the answer choices, such as "comes" v. "come," you first must determine the subject.

Usually, when we have a collective noun or indefinite pronoun followed by a prepositional phrase, it is singular. For example, all of the following would be singular:
The group of students is
The board of directors is
Each of the consultants is
Either of the answers is correct

However, there are 5 exceptions: what we call the SANAM pronouns: Some, Any, None, All, More/Most. These can be either singular or plural, depending on the object of the preposition. Both of the following are correct:

Most of the money was stolen.
Most of the items were stolen.

In your example sentence:
Most of the purported health benefits of tea comes from antioxidants-compounds also found in beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C that inhibit the formation of plaque along the body's blood vessels.

The subject should be "health benefits" rather than "most." We need the plural verb: "come." (Remember that plural verbs don't have an 's' but singular verbs do).

If the OA given for this problem indicates otherwise, it is incorrect.
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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