In this question, choose the option that best completes the gap(s). The proprietor of our school with his administrator ------------ expected yesterday.

Analyze the question: This tests subject-verb agreement and tense. The sentence has a subject followed by a phrase starting with "with," and the time marker "yesterday" tells us the tense.

Explain the concept:

1. "With," "as well as," "together with," "along with" do not make a subject plural. They introduce a parenthetical phrase. The verb agrees with the main subject only, which here is "The proprietor."
2. "Yesterday" signals the past tense.

Solution:

• Main subject: The proprietor (singular)
• "with his administrator" is only an added phrase, so it does not affect the verb.
• Time: yesterday, so past tense.
• Singular + past tense = was

Checking the options:

• A. are: plural and present, wrong
• B. is: singular but present, wrong because of "yesterday"
• C. was: singular and past, correct
• D. were: plural past, wrong because the subject is singular

Complete sentence: The proprietor of our school, with his administrator, was expected yesterday.

Tip: When you see "with," "together with," "as well as," or "along with," ignore everything after it when choosing the verb. Compare it with "and," which does make a plural subject: "The proprietor and his administrator were expected yesterday." Also, always scan the sentence for time words like "yesterday" to fix the tense.