Question

Correct the underlined phrase, if necessary:

Cliff Richard, or Harry Webb as he was originally called, were award-winning artists, amassing many gold and platinum discs and awards during career highs.

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. were highly acclaimed artists
• C. was an award-winning singer
• D. were internationally known singers

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

There are two numbers in Noun-Number: Singular and Plural. When we speak about one person / thing, we use the noun in singular form. When we speak about more than one person / thing, we use the noun in plural form.

When the sentence has the word 'or', we must consider the number of the subject that is closest to the verb. Here, both subjects are one person. Hence, the verb must be singular. The correct answer is B) Was an award-winning singer, since it is the only option that has the singular verb 'was'. In the given sentence, we are referring to one person Cliff Richard, who was also called Harry Webb, therefore, according to Subject-Verb-Agreement rules, we must use a singular verb as our subject is singular.