Why does the number of take a singular verb while a number of takes a plural one?

The number of points to one figure, while a number of means several, so the plural noun becomes the subject.

Can compression drop the cause?

No. Examples and adjectives can go, but removing cause or time order distorts the summary.

S4 English: DSE Paper 1 Summary and Cloze (Paper 4, error repair)

2026-10-31

Ten items on the usual summary and cloze slips: news as an uncountable subject with is, due to the fact that reduced to because, not able to attend reduced to missed, 300 words cut to 75 words (one quarter kept), the number of with has, the fixed collocation interested in, a 100-word summary of a 400-word article (25.0%), keeping the cause in a summary, the redundancy of cooperate together, and why copying the first and last sentences is not a summary.

Direct answer　Cloze marks come from finding the real subject and the fixed collocation; summary marks come from cutting before rewriting.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10
Suggested time	25
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: S4 English: DSE Paper 1 Summary and Cloze
Level	Four error-repair, three advanced, two challenge and one combined repair item

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationCloze: The news ___ surprising. Choose is or are.
FoundationWhich single word can replace due to the fact that?
FoundationRewrite not able to attend as one verb.
FoundationA 300-word text must be cut to 75 words. What fraction of the original is kept?
IntermediateCloze: The number of students ___ risen. Choose has or have.
IntermediateCloze: She is interested ___ history. Choose in or on.
IntermediateA 400-word article is summarised in 100 words. What percentage of the original is the summary?
ChallengeOriginal: The library extended its opening hours because students requested more study space. Which summary keeps the cause?
ChallengeWhich phrase is redundant: cooperate together or work together?
Error redoError repair: a student copies the first and last sentence and calls it a summary. What is wrong, and what is better?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	is	News ends in s but is uncountable, so it takes the singular verb is.
2	because	Due to the fact that carries one causal link in six words, which because says in one.
3	missed	Compression swaps words without changing meaning, so not able to attend becomes missed.
4	One quarter	Seventy-five out of three hundred is zero point two five, one quarter of the original.
5	has	The number of counts a single figure, so the singular has is correct.
6	in	Interested collocates with in, whatever the Chinese wording suggests.
7	25.0%	One hundred out of four hundred is zero point two five, or twenty-five per cent.
8	The library opened longer because students wanted more study space	A summary keeps the causal link: longer hours are the result and the demand for space is the cause.
9	cooperate together	Cooperate already means doing something together, so together repeats it.
10	Two copied sentences are not compression; a summary restates the main points in fewer words of your own	The first and last sentences may only open and close, so a summary must compress the whole passage in your own words.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

Book an S4 English tutor

Questions and answers are written originally by the TutorZone team and are not taken from any school, publisher or examination authority paper. Every value is checked by computer.