WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

The superhero Spider-man first appeared in the August 1962 comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 by Marvel
Comics. He 1) (were / was) created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Spider-man was one of 2) (a / the) first
teen superheroes who wasn't 3) (a / the) sidekick. He had to learn how to deal with growing up and at the
same time 4) (had / having) super powers.
What 5) (is/ are) his super powers?
Spider-man 6) (had / has) super strength and spider-like abilities. He can easily climb most anything
including glass walls or tall buildings. He has "spider-sense" that 7) (alert / alerts) him to enemies or danger.
He also can 8) (shoots / shoot) spider webs from his wrist allowing him to create webs to trap criminals,
grab items from a distance, and swing from building to building.
How did Spider-man get his powers?
Peter Parker was on a school field trip to a science lab when he was bitten by a radioactive spider. The next
day he woke up with spider powers. It took Peter some time to figure out all his 9) (power / powers) and
what to do with them. First he wanted to get revenge on those who killed his Uncle Ben. Later, he
remembers his Uncle's 10) (word / words) "with great power comes great responsibility" and he decides
to use his powers for good to protect the 11) (person / people) of New York from crime. He also designed
the Spider-man costume to protect his identity.
Who 12) (is / are) Spider-man's alter ego?
Teenager Peter Parker 13) (is / are) Spider-man's alter ego. Peter works as an independent photographer
for the Daily Bugle newspaper trying to help his Aunt May pay the bills. His boss at the newspaper, J. Jonah
Jameson, 14) (does / do) not like Spider-man and 15) (are / is) out to discover his identity. Peter Parker 16)
(fall / falls) in love with Mary Jane Watson.
Who are Spider-man's enemies?
Spider-man has had a number of enemies he must defeat over the years. Most of his enemies are the 17)
(results / result) of scientific accidents or experiments gone wrong. Some of his most notorious enemies 18)
(is / are) the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, the Chameleon, Kingpin, the Sandman, Venom, and the Scorpion.

Adapted from: http://www.ducksters.com/biography/spider_man.php

ANSWERS

The superhero Spider-man first appeared in the August 1962 comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 by Marvel
Comics. He 1) (were / was) created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Spider-man was one of 2) (a / the) first
teen superheroes who wasn't 3) (a / the) sidekick. He had to learn how to deal with growing up and at the
same time 4) (had / having) super powers.
What 5) (is/ are) his super powers?
Spider-man 6) (had / has) super strength and spider-like abilities. He can easily climb most anything
including glass walls or tall buildings. He has "spider-sense" that 7) (alert / alerts) him to enemies or danger.
He also can 8) (shoots / shoot) spider webs from his wrist allowing him to create webs to trap criminals,
grab items from a distance, and swing from building to building.
How did Spider-man get his powers?
Peter Parker was on a school field trip to a science lab when he was bitten by a radioactive spider. The next
day he woke up with spider powers. It took Peter some time to figure out all his 9) (power / powers) and
what to do with them. First he wanted to get revenge on those who killed his Uncle Ben. Later, he
remembers his Uncle's 10) (word / words) "with great power comes great responsibility" and he decides
to use his powers for good to protect the 11) (person / people) of New York from crime. He also designed
the Spider-man costume to protect his identity.
Who 12) (is / are) Spider-man's alter ego?
Teenager Peter Parker 13) (is / are) Spider-man's alter ego. Peter works as an independent photographer
for the Daily Bugle newspaper trying to help his Aunt May pay the bills. His boss at the newspaper, J. Jonah
Jameson, 14) (does / do) not like Spider-man and 15) (are / is) out to discover his identity. Peter Parker 16)
(fall / falls) in love with Mary Jane Watson.
Who are Spider-man's enemies?
Spider-man has had a number of enemies he must defeat over the years. Most of his enemies are the 17)
(results / result) of scientific accidents or experiments gone wrong. Some of his most notorious enemies 18)
(is / are) the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, the Chameleon, Kingpin, the Sandman, Venom, and the Scorpion.

Adapted from: http://www.ducksters.com/biography/spider_man.php

Exercise 2: Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise

Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject.
1. Annie and her brothers (is, are) at school.
2. Either my mother or my father (is, are) coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats (is, are) outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat (is, are) always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara (doesn't, don't) want to see that movie.
6. Benito (doesn't, don't) know the answer.
7. One of my sisters (is, are) going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds (live, lives) on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, (take, takes) about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, (want, wants) to win.
11. Either answer (is, are) acceptable.
12. Every one of those books (is, are) fiction.
13. Nobody (know, knows) the trouble I've seen.
14. (Is, Are) the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics (is, are) John's favourite subject, while Civics (is, are) Andrea's
favourite subject.
16. Eight dollars (is, are) the price of a movie these days.
17. (Is, Are) the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants (is, are) at the cleaner's.
19. There (was, were) fifteen candies in that bag. Now there (is, are) only one left!
20. The committee (debates, debate) these questions carefully.
21. The committee (leads, lead) very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, (greets, greet) the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, (is, are) in this case.

Answers: Subject and Verb Agreement Exercise

1. Annie and her brothers are at school.

2. Either my mother or my father is coming to the meeting.
3. The dog or the cats are outside.
4. Either my shoes or your coat is always on the floor.
5. George and Tamara don't want to see that movie.
6. Benito doesn't know the answer.
7. One of my sisters is going on a trip to France.
8. The man with all the birds lives on my street.
9. The movie, including all the previews, takes about two hours to watch.
10. The players, as well as the captain, want to win.
11. Either answer is acceptable.
12. Every one of those books is fiction.
13. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen.
14. Is the news on at five or six?
15. Mathematics is John's favorite subject, while Civics is Andrea's favorite subject.
16. Eight dollars is the price of a movie these days.
17. Are the tweezers in this drawer?
18. Your pants are at the cleaner's.
19. There were fifteen candies in that bag. Now there is only one left!
20. The committee debates these questions carefully.
21. The committee lead very different lives in private.
22. The Prime Minister, together with his wife, greets the press cordially.
23. All of the CDs, even the scratched one, are in this case.

EXERCISE 3 ADVANCED SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

Question 1
_______ anyone ________ a pencil I could borrow?

A Does / have
B Do / have
Question 2
No one _____ finished reading the book yet.

A has
B have
Question 3
Hurry up! Everyone ____ waiting for you to get here.

A is
B are
Question 4
No, my family ________ live nearby.

A doesn't
B don't
Question 5
Our swimming club ______ going to compete on Saturday.

A is
B are
Question 6
The police officer _____ talking to the parents of the missing child.

A is
B are
Question 7
The police _______ released any information about the case.

A haven't
B hasn't
Question 8
Most women _______ getting flowers.

A love
B loves

Question 9
Some of the people waiting in line ______ getting impatient.

A are
B is
Question 10
Both of you _______ the rules.

A know
B knows
Question 11
Several of my teeth ______ cavities.

A have
B has
Question 12
Most of this software _____ outdated.

A is
B are
Question 13
Some of the children _______ have cell phones.

A don't
B doesn't
Question 14
Almost all of the water _____ contaminated.

A is
B are