One of the ninjas on my left ____ more dangerous and more stealthy tha...
Explanation:
The correct answer is option A, "is."
In the given sentence, the phrase "One of the ninjas on my left" is the subject of the sentence. This phrase refers to a single ninja among a group of ninjas.
Subject-Verb Agreement:
When the subject of a sentence is a singular noun phrase, such as "one of the ninjas," the verb that follows should also be singular. This is because the subject is referring to a single entity within a larger group.
Example:
If we rephrase the sentence without the phrase "one of the ninjas," it would be "He is more dangerous and more stealthy than I am." Here, the subject "he" is singular, so the verb "is" is also singular.
Incorrect Options:
- Option B, "are," is incorrect because it is the plural form of the verb "to be" and does not agree with the singular subject.
- Option C, "was," is incorrect because it is the past tense of the verb "to be" and does not match the present tense of the sentence.
- Option D, "were," is incorrect for the same reason as option C. It is the past tense form and does not agree with the present tense subject.
Key Points:
- When the subject of a sentence is a singular noun phrase, the verb that follows should also be singular.
- In this case, the subject "one of the ninjas" is a singular noun phrase, so the verb "is" is the correct choice.
- The correct answer is option A, "is."