Identify the part of the sentence that contains a grammatical error.
Either the ethics protocol (1)/ or the procedural memo (2)/ were responsible for (3)/ the reporting delay. (4)
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
(3)
Explanation
Core Meaning: The sentence indicates that either the rules governing ethics or the standard operating document caused the delay in filing the report. According to the rule of proximity for correlative conjunctions like "either... or...", the verb must agree with the subject closest to it. Here, the closest subject is "the procedural memo" (found in Part 2), which is singular. Therefore, the plural verb "were" in Part 3 is incorrect and must be changed to the singular past-tense verb was.
Key Points
Core Definition: The proximity rule dictates that when subjects are connected by either/or or neither/nor, the verb conjugates based on the singular or plural status of the nearest noun phrase.
Grammatical Role: Identifying a mismatched plural auxiliary verb and replacing it with its singular form to ensure proper subject-verb agreement.