Spot the error in the following sentence and choose the appropriate option.
"The committee have made its decision about the new policy."
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → have
Collective noun and verb agreement:
- A collective noun (committee, team, jury, family) takes a singular verb when the group acts as one body.
- Its pronoun must agree: singular verb with its, not "their".
- This sentence: the committee reached one decision together, and the pronoun is already "its", so the verb must be singular.
Corrected: The committee has made its decision about the new policy.
Example: The jury has given its verdict.
Option 1: committee — No error. The noun is correct; the error lies in the verb that follows it.
Option 2: have — Error. The plural "have" clashes with the singular subject acting as one body and with "its"; it should be has.
Option 3: made — No error. The past participle "made" correctly forms the present perfect.
Option 4: decision — No error. One decision by one committee; the singular noun is right.