Which word completes the sentence about In-N-Out Burger: In-N-Out Burger, a chain primarily found along the West Coast with a few Texas locations, _____ famous for its Double-Double burger?

Which word completes the sentence about In-N-Out Burger: In-N-Out Burger, a chain primarily found along the West Coast with a few Texas locations, _____ famous for its Double-Double burger?

• A. is
• B. are
• C. was
• D. be

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is subject-verb agreement. In this sentence, the subject is a singular noun phrase: In-N-Out Burger. The comma-delimited phrase that follows is an appositive, adding detail about the subject, but it doesn’t change the number of the subject. So the verb must be the singular present form of “to be.” That's why the correct choice is is: In-N-Out Burger is famous for its Double-Double burger. Using are would treat the subject as plural, which isn’t correct for a single chain. Was would put the sentence into past tense, implying a past state. Be is the base form and doesn’t fit the required finite, present-tense verb here.

The main idea here is subject-verb agreement. In this sentence, the subject is a singular noun phrase: In-N-Out Burger. The comma-delimited phrase that follows is an appositive, adding detail about the subject, but it doesn’t change the number of the subject. So the verb must be the singular present form of “to be.” That's why the correct choice is is: In-N-Out Burger is famous for its Double-Double burger.

Using are would treat the subject as plural, which isn’t correct for a single chain. Was would put the sentence into past tense, implying a past state. Be is the base form and doesn’t fit the required finite, present-tense verb here.