The architect Zaha Hadid revolutionized contemporary design with fluid, dynamic forms that challenged conventional geometry. So innovative was her app...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

• The architect Zaha Hadid
  • revolutionized contemporary design
    • with fluid, dynamic forms
      • that challenged conventional geometry.
• So innovative was her approach to spatial relationships
  • that her firm's signature style
    • in building facades
  • [?] architects and critics around the globe.

Understanding the Meaning

Let's start with the first sentence:

• The architect Zaha Hadid revolutionized contemporary design
  • She used fluid, dynamic forms
  • These forms challenged conventional geometry

So we're learning about an innovative architect whose work was groundbreaking.

Now the second sentence begins:

• 'So innovative was her approach to spatial relationships...'
  • This structure emphasizes just how innovative she was
  • It sets up a result: "that her firm's signature style..."

This is where we have the blank:

• 'her firm's signature style in building facades _____ architects and critics around the globe.'

Let's look at our choices:

• A. captivate (plural/base form)
• B. have captivated (plural present perfect)
• C. are captivating (plural present progressive)
• D. captivates (singular present)

To see what works here, let's identify the key structure!

What do we notice about the grammar here?

• The subject of this part is 'her firm's signature style'
  • The core noun is 'style' - which is singular
  • 'in building facades' is just a describing phrase telling us where this style appears
  • It's not part of the subject itself
• So we need a verb that agrees with the singular subject 'style'
  • Think: "the style _____ people"
  • We need the singular form

The correct answer is D. captivates

The sentence is saying that her innovative approach was so remarkable that the style her firm created captivates (amazes, fascinates) architects and critics worldwide.

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Making Verbs Agree with Their Subjects

The verb in a sentence must match (or "agree with") its subject in number - if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular; if the subject is plural, the verb must be plural.

The tricky part comes when words separate the subject from the verb. Phrases that come between them can contain nouns that might mislead you, but you need to identify the true subject:

Pattern to watch for:

• Subject + describing phrase + verb
• The describing phrase often begins with words like "of," "in," "with," "for"
• The noun in that phrase is NOT the subject

Examples:

1. The collection of paintings is valuable.
   • Subject: "collection" (singular)
   • Not: "paintings" (this is in the phrase "of paintings")
   • Verb: "is" (singular)
2. The students in the classroom are studying.
   • Subject: "students" (plural)
   • Not: "classroom" (this is in the phrase "in the classroom")
   • Verb: "are" (plural)

In our question:

• Subject: "her firm's signature style" = singular
• Describing phrase: "in building facades" (separates subject from verb)
• Verb needed: "captivates" (singular to match "style")

Key tip: Cross out or mentally ignore the phrases between the subject and verb to see the agreement clearly: "style... captivates"