Stative Verbs

Respuesta correcta: A) The mornings are cold and the afternoons are sunny.

• A) The mornings are cold and the afternoons are sunny.Correct! 'Are' agrees with the plural subjects 'the mornings' and 'the afternoons', which is what a plural subject needs.
• B) The mornings is cold and the afternoons are sunny.'Is' agrees with a singular subject, but 'the mornings' is plural, so the verb should be 'are cold'.
• C) The mornings be cold and the afternoons be sunny.'Be' is an infinitive and cannot open the clause; the present simple of 'to be' after a plural subject is 'are'.
• D) The mornings are cold and the afternoons is sunny.The first 'are' is right, but 'the afternoons' is also plural, so its verb should be 'are sunny' and not 'is sunny'.

Respuesta correcta: D) The weather is unpredictable above three thousand metres.

• A) The weather am unpredictable above three thousand metres.'Am' is used only with the pronoun 'I' and never with a noun such as 'the weather'.
• B) The weather are unpredictable above three thousand metres.'Are' goes with a plural subject; 'the weather' is a singular noun in English, however abstract the idea it names.
• C) The weather be unpredictable above three thousand metres.'Be' is the bare infinitive and needs a subject before it in a simple statement of state.
• D) The weather is unpredictable above three thousand metres.Correct! 'The weather' is singular even though it names an uncountable idea, so it takes 'is' before an adjective.

Respuesta correcta: B) No, I am.

• A) No, I not.A negative answer needs the same verb as the question, and the verb that goes with 'I' is 'am', not the bare word 'not'.
• B) No, I am.Correct! 'I' takes the verb 'am' in every case, so the short answer after a negative question is 'No, I am.'
• C) No, I is.'Is' belongs to he, she and it; the pronoun 'I' requires 'am' in both questions and answers.
• D) No, me not.'Me' is an object pronoun and cannot serve as the subject of a short answer in English.

Respuesta correcta: C) Ana and her brother are waiting at the airport.

• A) Ana and her brother is waiting at the airport.'Is' agrees with a single subject, but 'Ana and her brother' names two people and therefore takes 'are waiting'.
• B) Ana and her brother am waiting at the airport.'Am' is reserved for the pronoun 'I'; no combination of two third person subjects can take 'am waiting'.
• C) Ana and her brother are waiting at the airport.Correct! When two subjects are joined by 'and' they form a plural subject, so the verb of 'to be' is 'are'.
• D) Ana and her brother be waiting at the airport.'Be' is an infinitive and cannot follow a subject directly in a present continuous sentence.

Respuesta correcta: A) The altitude is high and the climate is cool.

• A) The altitude is high and the climate is cool.Correct! Both 'the altitude' and 'the climate' are singular nouns, so each one takes 'is' before the adjective.
• B) The altitude are high and the climate are cool.'Are' is the plural form and does not agree with either of these two singular subjects.
• C) The altitude be high and the climate be cool.'Be' is the bare infinitive of the verb and needs an auxiliary or a subject of its own to stand as the finite verb.
• D) The altitude is high and the climate are cool.The first clause is correct, but 'the climate' is singular as well, so its verb should be 'is cool'.

Respuesta correcta: C) The notebooks and the pen are in the backpack.

• A) The notebooks are in the backpack and the pen are on the table.The first clause is correct, but the second subject 'the pen' is singular, so its verb should be 'is on the table'.
• B) The notebooks and the pen is in the backpack.'Is' agrees with a singular subject, but 'the notebooks and the pen' adds up to two items and is plural.
• C) The notebooks and the pen are in the backpack.Correct! Two nouns joined by 'and' form one plural subject, so the verb of 'to be' is 'are'.
• D) The notebook and the pens is in the backpack.'Is' is right for the singular 'the notebook', but 'and the pens' makes the whole subject plural and requires 'are'.

Respuesta correcta: D) Your host family is from Cuenca and they are preparing a traditional meal.

• A) Your host family are from Cuenca and they are preparing a traditional meal.'Family' is singular in standard usage, so 'are from Cuenca' does not agree with it; 'they are' in the second clause is correct.
• B) Your host family are from Cuenca and they is preparing a traditional meal.'Are' does not agree with the singular noun 'family'; the verb after that subject must be 'is'.
• C) Your host family is from Cuenca and they is preparing a traditional meal.The first clause is correct, but the pronoun 'they' is always plural and takes 'are preparing'.
• D) Your host family is from Cuenca and they are preparing a traditional meal.Correct! A noun ending in -y such as 'family' is singular in English, so it takes 'is', while the pronoun 'they' correctly takes 'are'.

Respuesta correcta: B) The students are excited because the results are on the notice board.

• A) The students is excited because the results is on the notice board.'Is' does not agree with 'the students' in the first clause, and 'the results' needs 'are' in the second clause.
• B) The students are excited because the results are on the notice board.Correct! 'The students' is plural, so it takes 'are', and 'the results' is also plural in English, so 'are' is right again.
• C) The students is excited because the results are on the notice board.The second clause is correct, but 'the students' is a plural subject and therefore takes 'are excited'.
• D) The students are excited because the results is on the notice board.The first clause is correct, but 'the results' is a plural noun, so its verb should be 'are on the notice board'.

Respuesta correcta: A) No, he isn't. He is an engineer.

• A) No, he isn't. He is an engineer.Correct! The question uses 'is', so the negative short answer repeats 'isn't' in its contracted form.
• B) No, he doesn't. He is an engineer.'Doesn't' answers a question built with 'do' or 'does', such as 'Does he work here?', not a question with 'is'.
• C) No, he not. He is an engineer.A negative short answer keeps the verb of the question; 'not' on its own cannot form a short answer in English.
• D) No, he aren't. He is an engineer.'Aren't' is the plural form of 'be' and cannot agree with the singular pronoun 'he'.

Respuesta correcta: B) 'Where are the keys?' 'They are on the kitchen counter.'

• A) 'Where is the keys?' 'They are on the kitchen counter.''Is' does not agree with 'the keys', which is plural, so the question needs 'Where are the keys?'
• B) 'Where are the keys?' 'They are on the kitchen counter.'Correct! 'Are' agrees with the plural subject 'the keys' and 'they' answers it with the same plural pronoun.
• C) 'Where are the keys?' 'It is on the kitchen counter.''It' is the singular pronoun and cannot stand for 'the keys', which is plural; the answer must use 'they are'.
• D) 'Where the keys are?' 'They are on the kitchen counter.'A question needs the auxiliary before the subject, so the order is 'Where are the keys?' and never 'Where the keys are?'.

Respuesta correcta: D) My grandfather is retired, but he is still very active.

• A) My grandfather is retired, but he is still very act.'Act' is the base form of a verb; a quality such as 'active' needs the adjective form before it can follow 'is'.
• B) My grandfather is retire, but he is still very active.'Retire' is the base form of the verb, but after 'is' a state is described with an adjective or with a past participle, not with a base form.
• C) My grandfather retired, but he is still very active.'Retired' without 'is' leaves the clause without a finite verb, so the sentence has no complete structure.
• D) My grandfather is retired, but he is still very active.Correct! 'Retired' is an adjective describing a state and 'active' describes a quality, so both stand after 'is'.

Respuesta correcta: C) No, it isn't mine. My bag is the blue one.

• A) No, it not mine. My bag is the blue one.A negative short answer needs the contracted verb, so 'is not' becomes 'isn't' after the pronoun.
• B) No, they isn't mine. My bag is the blue one.'They' is plural and cannot agree with the singular verb 'isn't' in the short answer.
• C) No, it isn't mine. My bag is the blue one.Correct! 'It' is the singular pronoun that stands for a single object, and it matches the 'isn't' of the short answer.
• D) No, this isn't mine. My bag is the blue one.Repeating the demonstrative 'this' answers the question but breaks the pronoun pattern of a short answer, which requires a pronoun.

Respuesta correcta: A) Camila's laptop is broken, but her phone is working perfectly.

• A) Camila's laptop is broken, but her phone is working perfectly.Correct! Both subjects are singular, so both take 'is', whether the following word is a participle or an adverb.
• B) Camila's laptop are broken, but her phone is working perfectly.'Are' does not agree with the singular noun 'laptop', so the first clause is wrong.
• C) Camila's laptop is broken, but her phone are working perfectly.The first clause is correct, but 'her phone' is singular as well and therefore takes 'is working'.
• D) Camila's laptop are broken, but her phone are working perfectly.Both subjects are singular, so neither of them can take 'are'; both clauses need 'is'.

Respuesta correcta: C) Everything is ready, but the salad isn't because the tomatoes are missing.

• A) Everything is ready, but the salad aren't because the tomatoes are missing.'The salad' is a singular noun, so its negative short answer must be 'isn't' and not 'aren't'.
• B) Everything are ready, but the salad isn't because the tomatoes are missing.'Everything' is a singular word that means all the items, so it never takes the plural verb 'are'.
• C) Everything is ready, but the salad isn't because the tomatoes are missing.Correct! 'Everything' is singular and takes 'is', 'the salad' is singular and takes 'isn't', and 'the tomatoes' is plural and takes 'are'.
• D) Everything are ready, but the salad isn't because the tomatoes is missing.'The tomatoes' is plural because it ends in -s, so its verb is 'are missing' and not 'is missing'.

Respuesta correcta: B) These shoes are new, and those boots are very old.

• A) These shoe is new, and those boot are very old.'Shoe' and 'boot' are singular nouns, so they cannot be introduced by the plural demonstratives 'these' and 'those'.
• B) These shoes are new, and those boots are very old.Correct! 'These' points to something near the speaker and 'those' to something farther away, and both take the plural verb 'are'.
• C) This shoes are new, and those boots is very old.'This' is singular and cannot introduce the plural noun 'shoes'; the plural demonstrative is 'these'.
• D) These shoes is new, and those boots is very old.Both subjects are plural, so neither of them can take the singular verb 'is'.

Respuesta correcta: D) The questions on the test are difficult, but the instructions are clear.

• A) The question on the test are difficult, but the instruction are clear.'The question' and 'the instruction' are singular, so each would need 'is' if the sentence meant one item only.
• B) The questions on the test is difficult, but the instructions is clear.Both subjects are plural, so neither of them can take the singular verb 'is'.
• C) The questions on the test are difficult, but the instructions is clear.The first clause is correct, but 'the instructions' is plural and its verb should be 'are clear'.
• D) The questions on the test are difficult, but the instructions are clear.Correct! 'The questions' and 'the instructions' are both plural nouns, so both take the plural verb 'are'.

Respuesta correcta: A) No, they are closed because it is very cold outside.

• A) No, they are closed because it is very cold outside.Correct! 'They are' answers the plural subject 'the windows', and 'it is' agrees with the singular pronoun 'it'.
• B) No, they is closed because it is very cold outside.'They' is plural and always takes 'are', never the singular 'is'.
• C) No, it are closed because it are very cold outside.'It' is singular, so its verb is 'is' and the subject of the second clause cannot be 'it are'.
• D) No, they are closed because it are very cold outside.'It' refers to the weather or the temperature here, and that singular subject takes 'is', not 'are'.

Respuesta correcta: B) My cousins live in Guayaquil, and they are both engineers.

• A) My cousin live in Guayaquil, and they are both engineers.'Live' has no -s and 'my cousin' is a singular noun, so this combination breaks agreement in the first clause.
• B) My cousins live in Guayaquil, and they are both engineers.Correct! 'My cousins' is plural and takes 'live', and the pronoun 'they' is plural as well, so 'are' is correct.
• C) My cousins lives in Guayaquil, and they are both engineers.'Lives' carries the -s of the third person singular, but 'my cousins' is plural and therefore takes the base form 'live'.
• D) My cousins live in Guayaquil, and they is both engineers.'They' is always plural, so its verb must be 'are both engineers' and not 'is both engineers'.

Respuesta correcta: D) No, mine is over there, next to the door.

• A) No, that is over there, next to the door.'That' is a demonstrative and points at an object rather than naming a possessor in a short answer.
• B) No, my is over there, next to the door.'My' is an adjective and always stands in front of a noun, so it cannot be the subject of a clause.
• C) No, it are over there, next to the door.'It' is a singular pronoun and takes 'is'; the form 'it are' is not grammatical in English.
• D) No, mine is over there, next to the door.Correct! 'Mine' is the possessive pronoun that replaces the noun, and as a singular subject it takes 'is'.

Respuesta correcta: C) There isn't much milk left in the fridge, but there are still six eggs.

• A) There are much milk left in the fridge, but there is still six eggs.'Much' and 'milk' need 'there isn't', because an uncountable noun is treated as singular; 'six eggs' is plural and needs 'are'.
• B) There isn't many milk left in the fridge, but there are still six eggs.'Many' is used with countable plural nouns such as 'eggs', and it is never placed before an uncountable noun like 'milk'.
• C) There isn't much milk left in the fridge, but there are still six eggs.Correct! 'Much' describes the uncountable noun 'milk', which takes 'there isn't', and 'six eggs' is plural, so it takes 'there are'.
• D) There isn't much milk left in the fridge, but there is still six eggs.'Six eggs' is plural, so the second clause needs 'there are still six eggs' and not 'there is'.