Extract:
Select the word that makes the following sentence grammatically correct.
One out of four doctors ____________ to this plan.
-
A
subscribe
-
B
subscribes
-
C
subscribing
-
D
are subscribed
The word "subscribes" makes the sentence grammatically correct because the singular subject "one" requires singular verb agreement despite the plural prepositional phrase "out of four doctors."
A) subscribe
"Subscribe" is plural verb form—incorrectly matches the plural "doctors" in the prepositional phrase rather than the true singular subject "one." Verb agreement follows the subject, not objects of prepositions.
B) subscribes
"Subscribes" is singular verb form correctly matching the singular subject "one." Prepositional phrases like "out of four doctors" modify the subject but don't affect verb agreement—the head noun "one" governs verb number.
C) subscribing
"Subscribing" is a participle, not a finite verb—creates a sentence fragment lacking main verb. "One... subscribing" cannot stand alone as a complete sentence.
D) are subscribed
Passive voice "are subscribed" uses plural verb "are" with singular subject "one," creating agreement error. Additionally, passive construction ("are subscribed to") is unnecessarily complex for this context.
Conclusion
Verb agreement follows the grammatical subject—not nouns within modifying prepositional phrases. Singular subject "one" demands singular verb "subscribes" regardless of plural elements in phrases like "out of four doctors" that merely describe the subject.