<p>At the reception were the chattering guests, the three-tiered cake, and the lively music that have become (characteristic of)(D) many wedding celebrations. No error </p>
<p>The answer was no error but why can't it be D? shouldn't it be plural and read characteristics of?</p>
<p>“To be characteristic of” is idiomatically correct.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>“It is characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.” (Thoreau)</p>
<p>“characteristic” is being used an adjective, so it would not be pluralized.</p>
<p>how do you know it is an adjective?</p>
<p>become is the verb which is correct. characteristic is an adjective… i probably would have missed this one though.</p>
<p>Think of “characteristic” as “typical” here. Those things have become typical of many wedding celebrations. You see them often at wedding celebrations. You know it’s an adjective and not a noun because if it were a noun it would be plural. If you used it as a noun (Those are characteristics of wedding celebrations) it would mean the same thing.</p>