Questions :
Options :
- will be
- was
- has been
- were
correct answer : b)
Explanation :
The correct option to fill in the blank is (b) was.
· The real subject of the verb is “every one”, not “crew”.
· “Every one of the boat’s crew” is treated as singular, so it takes a singular verb.
· The sentence refers to a past event (“On the day of the departure”), so we must use the Simple Past tense: “was”.
· Therefore, the correct sentence is:
· → On the day of the departure, every one of the boat’s crew was down with fever.
Example:
· Every one of the players was tired after the match.
· Every one of the students was present in the class.
Why other options are incorrect:
· (a) “will be” – Future tense; but the sentence clearly refers to a specific past day, so future tense is incorrect.
· (c) “has been” – Present Perfect; this suggests a connection to the present, which does not fit with the finished past time expressed by “On the day of the departure”.
· (d) “were” – Plural verb; subject “every one” is singular, so it must take “was”, not “were”.
Information booster (Subject–Verb Agreement with “every” / “each”):
· Every / Each + singular noun → singular verb
· Every boy is here.
· Each student has a book.
· Every one of / Each one of + plural noun → still singular verb
· Every one of the books is expensive.
· Each one of the cars was damaged.
· The real subject of the verb is “every one”, not “crew”.
· “Every one of the boat’s crew” is treated as singular, so it takes a singular verb.
· The sentence refers to a past event (“On the day of the departure”), so we must use the Simple Past tense: “was”.
· Therefore, the correct sentence is:
· → On the day of the departure, every one of the boat’s crew was down with fever.
Example:
· Every one of the players was tired after the match.
· Every one of the students was present in the class.
Why other options are incorrect:
· (a) “will be” – Future tense; but the sentence clearly refers to a specific past day, so future tense is incorrect.
· (c) “has been” – Present Perfect; this suggests a connection to the present, which does not fit with the finished past time expressed by “On the day of the departure”.
· (d) “were” – Plural verb; subject “every one” is singular, so it must take “was”, not “were”.
Information booster (Subject–Verb Agreement with “every” / “each”):
· Every / Each + singular noun → singular verb
· Every boy is here.
· Each student has a book.
· Every one of / Each one of + plural noun → still singular verb
· Every one of the books is expensive.
· Each one of the cars was damaged.