17.09.2025

 Great, thanks for sharing the exercise! Let’s go through it step by step and fill in the blanks correctly.

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1

(i) options: his early paintings, my children, Dr Jones’s acquaintances, the food
(ii) options: remain, taste, know

a) I’d be surprised if any of my children remember / remembers my birthday. ✅
b) It’s unlikely that any of his early paintings remain / remains. It seems that he destroyed most of the work he produced during the 1930s. ✅
c) I don’t think any of the food tastes / taste particularly good. In fact, the restaurant is rather disappointing. ✅
d) An investigation is underway to discover whether any of Dr Jones’s acquaintances know / knows where he is. ✅

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2

(i) options: vegetarians, victims, other museums, medicines
(ii) options: exceed, charge, expect, relieve

a) Mainly because of recent health scares involving beef and chicken, the number of vegetarians is expected / are expected to rise dramatically in the next five years. ✅
b) A number of medicines relieve / relieves the symptoms of influenza, but none can cure it. ✅
c) It is estimated that the number of victims of the flooding exceeds / exceed 100,000. ✅
d) You can still go into the National Museum for free, although a number of other museums in the capital charge / charges people for entry. ✅

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3

(i) options: player, these factors, the cars, the pieces
(ii) options: last, test, influence, try

a) The whole concert includes twenty short items from young musicians. Each of the pieces lasts / last about five minutes. ✅
b) The aim of the game is quite simple. Each player tries / try to buy as many properties on the board as possible. ✅
c) Each of the cars is tested / are tested for safety, fuel economy and reliability. ✅
d) There are four major influences on exchange rates: price levels, tariffs, preference for imported goods, and productivity. Here we investigate how each of these factors influences / influence the exchange rate. ✅

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✨ Would you like me to also explain why sometimes both singular and plural verb forms are possible (like in a number of…, each of…, none of…)? That often confuses learners.