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Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
Every Saturday afternoon, Ruthie calls her grandfather to tell him about the results of her soccer game.
This sentence doesn’t feature any conditional events that would trigger the subjunctive mood or commands that would require the imperative mood, so the indicative mood “Ruthie calls” is the appropriate use of the verb. Note that “is calling” is a current, temporary event and that is an inappropriate use given that this is an event that happens every Saturday, not just “now, in the moment” as the “is + ing” form would indicate.
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Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
Paul is a very good basketball player, but he wishes he was just a little bit taller so that he could dunk.
Answer: “he were” Statements made in a wishful, hypothetical sense should use the subjunctive mood, which for the verb “to be” (is, was, were, have been) means that you use the tense “were.” A way to remember the need for the subjunctive mood in these hypothetical situations (e.g. “If I were an astronaut” or “I wish she were here”) is that they’re hypothetical, so they didn’t actually happen. Therefore, a “unique” verb form helps to clarify that.
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Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
Given the rapid spread of the virus, her doctor recommended that she stays home from work so that she doesn’t take undue risks while pregnant.
Answer: “that she stay” When someone commands, recommends, demands, mandates, etc. that something happen, the sentence often uses the “imperative mood.” The imperative mood uses a structure of Recommend (or demand, etc.) + That (Person) + Infinitive Form of Verb, Minus “to.” Which seems like an odd math problem but consider these options:
The teacher recommended that Julie study… (the infinitive form is “to study” so the Imperative Mood is “study”)
The rulebook mandates that each player wear a helmet (the infinitive form is “to wear” so the Imperative Mood is “wear”)
For this sentence, the doctor recommends that something happen, so the imperative mood is “the doctor recommends that she stay” (the infinitive form is “to stay so we’ll use “stay”).
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Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
The rulebook mandates that each player wear a helmet while on the field of play for any reason at any time; removing one’s helmet on the field results in a penalty.
Answer: “NO CHANGE” When sentences use commands like “requires,” “mandates,” or “demands,” they tend to take two forms:
Command + infinitive verb (e.g. “The rulebook requires each player to wear a helmet”)
Command + that + imperative mood (e.g. “The rulebook requires that each player wear a helmet”)
With the imperative mood, the verb must follow the same form as the infinitive (“to wear”) just minus the word “to.” So here the original answer properly follows the imperative mood: “The rulebook mandates that each player wear” because the infinitive form is “to wear.”
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
While I understand that you are busy and that travel is expensive, I still wish that you were coming to Hawaii with me.
NO CHANGE. Statements made in a wishful, hypothetical sense use the subjunctive mood, which for the verb “to be” (is, was, were, have been) means that you use the tense “were.” Even though this event is to take place in the future, the conditional/hypothetical aspect of the event means that you should use the subjunctive mood “I wish you were coming” or another form such as “I wish that you could come” (where “could” serves the purpose of noting that the event isn’t happening much like the subjunctive “were coming” does).
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Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
The police officer demanded that the suspect come out with his hands up.
The phrase “demanded that” here signifies that what follows should be in the imperative mood, which requires the “bare infinitive” form of the verb (the form “to come” without the word “to”). So the correct answer is “the police officer demanded that the suspect come out…” Note that among the incorrect answer choices, “comes” would be correct if it did not follow a command but since the word “demanded” requires the imperative mood, “comes” is incorrect here. With “must come” note the redundancy: the word “demanded” already signifies that the suspect’s action “must happen” in the police officer’s mind. Do not use words like “must” or “should” directly adjacent to the verb in an imperative mood situation. And “is coming” is something that a police officer could observe, but cannot demand - a demand is something that should happen next, while “is coming” means that it’s already happening.
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Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
If she spends more time studying, she probably would have earned the extra two points she needed to get an A.
This sentence sets up a hypothetical situation in the past: we know that she didn’t spend as much time studying as she should have, but “if she had” she “probably would have” gotten the result she wanted. The order of events is also important: since this hypothetical sequence is that she would have had to 1) spend more time studying so that, next, she could 2) earn the extra points she needed to get an A, the past-perfect tense “had studied” sets the studying further back in time than the earning of points. The answer “had studied” properly uses the subjunctive mood and a back-in-time past perfect verb tense to convey the proper timeline. Note that among the incorrect choices, “could spend” uses a tense that looks at the future and “spends” is a verb in the present, but you need a verb in the past. And “was to spend” botches the need for the subjunctive mood (the conditional subjunctive would call for “if she were to spend”) and is also forward-looking in time.
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Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
The young prince knew that if he is king, he would mandate that no child in the kingdom goes hungry.
The correct answer uses the subjunctive mood at the beginning of the answer choice and the imperative mood at the end. Because the prince is talking about a conditional event that hasn’t happened (and might not), we use the subjunctive “if he were king.” And because the phrase “mandate that…” calls for the imperative mood, we use “mandate that no child go” hungry.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
While disappointed that he didn’t make the varsity team, Michael knew deep down that if he practiced harder over the summer he gave himself a better chance.
In this conditional event in the past, the past subjunctive form “if he had practiced harder” sets up the proper verb usage to be followed by the past conditional “he would have given himself.” Note that since we know that Michael did not practice harder last summer - we’re presented with the conditional “if” to start that idea - the verbs “he gave” and “he had given” are illogical as those give the meaning that those outcomes did happen, when we know that they did not.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
In the class I took last year, my teacher required that I included a bibliography with every report I turned in.
The use of the phrase “my teacher required that” calls for the imperative mood here, and the imperative mood uses the infinitive (“to include”) form of the verb, minus “to.” So the proper verb here is “that I include.” Note that “will include” improperly shifts the verb tense in addition to botching the imperative mood form - this class took place last year, so a future tense is illogical. And “had to include” is redundant, as “my teacher required” already denotes that the inclusion of a bibliography is something that had to happen.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
Paul is a very good basketball player, but he wishes he was just a little bit taller so that he could dunk.
Answer: “he were” Statements made in a wishful, hypothetical sense should use the subjunctive mood, which for the verb “to be” (is, was, were, have been) means that you use the tense “were.” A way to remember the need for the subjunctive mood in these hypothetical situations (e.g. “If I were an astronaut” or “I wish she were here”) is that they’re hypothetical, so they didn’t actually happen. Therefore, a “unique” verb form helps to clarify that.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
Given the rapid spread of the virus, her doctor recommended that she stays home from work so that she doesn’t take undue risks while pregnant.
Answer: “that she stay” When someone commands, recommends, demands, mandates, etc. that something happen, the sentence often uses the “imperative mood.” The imperative mood uses a structure of Recommend (or demand, etc.) + That (Person) + Infinitive Form of Verb, Minus “to.” Which seems like an odd math problem but consider these options:
The teacher recommended that Julie study… (the infinitive form is “to study” so the Imperative Mood is “study”)
The rulebook mandates that each player wear a helmet (the infinitive form is “to wear” so the Imperative Mood is “wear”)
For this sentence, the doctor recommends that something happen, so the imperative mood is “the doctor recommends that she stay” (the infinitive form is “to stay so we’ll use “stay”).
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
The rulebook mandates that each player wear a helmet while on the field of play for any reason at any time; removing one’s helmet on the field results in a penalty.
Answer: “NO CHANGE” When sentences use commands like “requires,” “mandates,” or “demands,” they tend to take two forms:
Command + infinitive verb (e.g. “The rulebook requires each player to wear a helmet”)
Command + that + imperative mood (e.g. “The rulebook requires that each player wear a helmet”)
With the imperative mood, the verb must follow the same form as the infinitive (“to wear”) just minus the word “to.” So here the original answer properly follows the imperative mood: “The rulebook mandates that each player wear” because the infinitive form is “to wear.”
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
While I understand that you are busy and that travel is expensive, I still wish that you were coming to Hawaii with me.
NO CHANGE. Statements made in a wishful, hypothetical sense use the subjunctive mood, which for the verb “to be” (is, was, were, have been) means that you use the tense “were.” Even though this event is to take place in the future, the conditional/hypothetical aspect of the event means that you should use the subjunctive mood “I wish you were coming” or another form such as “I wish that you could come” (where “could” serves the purpose of noting that the event isn’t happening much like the subjunctive “were coming” does).
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
The police officer demanded that the suspect come out with his hands up.
The phrase “demanded that” here signifies that what follows should be in the imperative mood, which requires the “bare infinitive” form of the verb (the form “to come” without the word “to”). So the correct answer is “the police officer demanded that the suspect come out…” Note that among the incorrect answer choices, “comes” would be correct if it did not follow a command but since the word “demanded” requires the imperative mood, “comes” is incorrect here. With “must come” note the redundancy: the word “demanded” already signifies that the suspect’s action “must happen” in the police officer’s mind. Do not use words like “must” or “should” directly adjacent to the verb in an imperative mood situation. And “is coming” is something that a police officer could observe, but cannot demand - a demand is something that should happen next, while “is coming” means that it’s already happening.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
If she spends more time studying, she probably would have earned the extra two points she needed to get an A.
This sentence sets up a hypothetical situation in the past: we know that she didn’t spend as much time studying as she should have, but “if she had” she “probably would have” gotten the result she wanted. The order of events is also important: since this hypothetical sequence is that she would have had to 1) spend more time studying so that, next, she could 2) earn the extra points she needed to get an A, the past-perfect tense “had studied” sets the studying further back in time than the earning of points. The answer “had studied” properly uses the subjunctive mood and a back-in-time past perfect verb tense to convey the proper timeline. Note that among the incorrect choices, “could spend” uses a tense that looks at the future and “spends” is a verb in the present, but you need a verb in the past. And “was to spend” botches the need for the subjunctive mood (the conditional subjunctive would call for “if she were to spend”) and is also forward-looking in time.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
The young prince knew that if he is king, he would mandate that no child in the kingdom goes hungry.
The correct answer uses the subjunctive mood at the beginning of the answer choice and the imperative mood at the end. Because the prince is talking about a conditional event that hasn’t happened (and might not), we use the subjunctive “if he were king.” And because the phrase “mandate that…” calls for the imperative mood, we use “mandate that no child go” hungry.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
Every Saturday afternoon, Ruthie calls her grandfather to tell him about the results of her soccer game.
This sentence doesn’t feature any conditional events that would trigger the subjunctive mood or commands that would require the imperative mood, so the indicative mood “Ruthie calls” is the appropriate use of the verb. Note that “is calling” is a current, temporary event and that is an inappropriate use given that this is an event that happens every Saturday, not just “now, in the moment” as the “is + ing” form would indicate.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
While disappointed that he didn’t make the varsity team, Michael knew deep down that if he practiced harder over the summer he gave himself a better chance.
In this conditional event in the past, the past subjunctive form “if he had practiced harder” sets up the proper verb usage to be followed by the past conditional “he would have given himself.” Note that since we know that Michael did not practice harder last summer - we’re presented with the conditional “if” to start that idea - the verbs “he gave” and “he had given” are illogical as those give the meaning that those outcomes did happen, when we know that they did not.
Compare your answer with the correct one above
Choose which answer choice best expresses the underlined portion of the following sentence. If the original sentence is the best choice, select “NO CHANGE.”
In the class I took last year, my teacher required that I included a bibliography with every report I turned in.
The use of the phrase “my teacher required that” calls for the imperative mood here, and the imperative mood uses the infinitive (“to include”) form of the verb, minus “to.” So the proper verb here is “that I include.” Note that “will include” improperly shifts the verb tense in addition to botching the imperative mood form - this class took place last year, so a future tense is illogical. And “had to include” is redundant, as “my teacher required” already denotes that the inclusion of a bibliography is something that had to happen.
Compare your answer with the correct one above