Part of: Miscellaneous Indian Gk set 195

The trains to Bangalore always ..... on time. (run / runs / ran)

Category: Miscellaneous Indian Gk

Hint: Consider the subject and the tense of the sentence.

Correct Answer: C) Run

Exam Relevance: CBSE, ICSE, SSC, CLAT, GRE

Difficulty: Easy

Explanations:

Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental aspect of English grammar that ensures the subject and verb in a sentence match in number and tense. In the sentence "The trains to Bangalore always _____ on time," the subject "trains" is plural, and the sentence is in the present tense. Therefore, the verb must also be in the plural form and in the present tense.

The subject "trains" is a plural noun, referring to multiple trains. When a plural subject is used, the verb must also be in its plural form. In the present tense, the plural form of the verb "to run" is "run." This means that the correct verb to use in the sentence is "run," as it matches the plural subject "trains."

It is important to note that the sentence is in the present tense, which is used to describe actions that are habitual or generally true. The present tense is appropriate here because the sentence is stating a general fact about the trains to Bangalore always running on time.

Incorrect options such as "runs" (singular form) and "have run" or "has run" (present perfect tense) do not match the plural subject "trains" or the present tense required by the sentence. The singular form "runs" would be correct if the subject were singular, such as "The train to Bangalore always runs on time." The present perfect tense "have run" or "has run" would be used to describe actions that have occurred at an unspecified time in the past or that have a connection to the present, which is not the case in this sentence.

Understanding subject-verb agreement and tense is crucial for constructing grammatically correct sentences. In this case, the correct answer is "run" because it matches the plural subject "trains" and is in the present tense, which is appropriate for the sentence's meaning.

Option Analysis:
  • Option A: This option is incorrect because "has run" is in the present perfect tense, which is not appropriate for the sentence. The sentence requires a present tense verb that agrees with the plural subject "trains."
  • Option B: This option is incorrect because "runs" is the singular form of the verb, but the subject "trains" is plural. The verb must agree with the subject in number.
  • Option C: This option is correct because "run" is the plural form of the verb in the present tense, which agrees with the plural subject "trains."
  • Option D: This option is incorrect because "have run" is in the present perfect tense, which is not appropriate for the sentence. The sentence requires a present tense verb that agrees with the plural subject "trains."

Mnemonic: S-V Agreement: Subject and verb must match in number and tense.

Back to Miscellaneous Indian Gk set 195 – Practice all questions