"Kate has one of those faces that registers excitement and enthusiasm." - Owen Wilson, in British ELLE, about Kate Hudson
Owen has made a common error in subject/verb agreement that often appears in questions on standardized examinations.
Sentences that contain "one of" can be confusing: should the verb that follows agree in number with the singular "one" or the plural object of the preposition "of" (in this case, the object of the preposition is "faces")? The convention in standardized American English is to create agreement between the plural object of the preposition and the verb.
Rearrange the words of Owen's statement to better understand the logic behind this rule:
Of those faces that registers excitement and enthusiasm, Kate's [is] one.
While the syntax of this rearranged sentence is awkward, it demonstrates the relationship between the object of the preposition and the verb that follows.
Change the number of the verb to singular to correct the error in subject/verb agreement.
"Kate has one of those faces that register excitement and enthusiasm."
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