Subject-verb Agreement
'Just hoping without deciding to take the necessary actions leads to excuses ...' At first glance, it might be tempting to use 'lead' instead of 'leads', because the word immediately before the verb ('actions') is a plural noun. However, if you study the sentence carefully, you will see that the subject here is 'just hoping'. Since 'hoping' is singular, 'leads' is the correct form of verb, instead of lead. Don't let the subject's modifier (a modifier adds information to the person or thing that you are referring to) confuse you. Here, 'without deciding to take the necessary actions' acts as a modifier. It simply adds extra information to the subject 'just hoping'; even if you take it out, the sentence is still valid.
One of the e-mails I received yesterday contained the following sentence: 'Please advise your colleagues that the use of these photos are solely for the lesson plan.' Obviously, the subject and the verb do not agree. Instead of 'are', 'is' should be used because the subject is 'the use'.
