Question

Editing and Proofreading: Correct the errors in the subject-verb agreement in the sentence below. Fix any other errors that you find.

One of the cars have lost it's bumper.
A. NO CHANGE
B. One of the cars had lost it's bumper.
O C. One of the cars has lost its bumper.
OD. One of the cars have lost its bumper.

Answer 1

C. One of the cars has lost its bumper.

Step-by-step explanation:

The subject-verb agreement is a rule according to which the subject and predicate must agree in number. This means that a singular subject takes a singular verb, and the opposite - a plural subject takes a plural verb.

The complete subject in the given sentence is one of the cars. Cars is a plural noun, but it's preceded by the phrase one of the, which makes the subject singular. That's why the predicate must contain a singular verb, as well. The form have lost is incorrect, because that's a plural form. The correct option is has lost.

There is another mistake. The phrase it's bumper is incorrect because it's is a contraction of the phrase it is, and we need the possessive pronoun its (the car has lost its bumper = the car's bumper).

That's why the correct option is C.