Every morning the school bus ______ at the corner near Leila's house.
Vocabulary and Grammar in Context · ELPAC Grades 3–5 reading. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Extra practice, not a separate task on the real test: a sentence with one word missing, testing the vocabulary and grammar the passages assume.
The question
Read the sentence. Choose the word that best completes it.
Every morning the school bus ______ at the corner near Leila's house.
- stopsCorrect answer
- stop
- stopping
Why “stops” is correct
This item tests present-tense subject-verb agreement. The subject is 'the school bus', which is singular, so the verb takes the -s ending. A quick check with a child is to replace the subject with 'it': we say 'it stops', not 'it stop'.
Why the other answers are wrong
- stop — 'Stop' is the form used with plural subjects such as 'the buses', so it does not match the singular 'bus'.
- stopping — 'Stopping' cannot act as the main verb on its own; it would need a helper such as 'is stopping'.
Practice more of this
More reading practice for Grades 3–5, or see the ELPAC practice test for grades 3–5. For other grades, see free ELPAC practice tests by grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the California Department of Education or the official ELPAC program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published task formats.