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Question

Difficulty: EasyShifts in Construction

In the sentence below, the writer wants to maintain a consistent present-tense construction. Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb 'rise' to ensure grammatical consistency.

Answer:Every morning, the birds sing loudly outside my window, and the sun 【rises】 over the horizon.

Answer

rises
The verb 'sing' in the first clause establishes that the actions are happening in the present tense. To avoid an unnecessary shift in construction, the verb in the second clause must also be in the present tense. Since the subject 'the sun' is singular, the correct present-tense form is 'rises'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the tense of the established verb in the sentence.
The verb 'sing' in the first clause is in the present tense, establishing a present-tense frame for the habitual morning routine.
To maintain consistency and avoid an unnecessary shift in construction, the verb in the second clause must also be in the present tense.
2
Determine the subject of the second clause and apply the correct present-tense verb form.
The subject of the second clause is 'the sun' (third-person singular), which requires the singular present-tense form 'rises'.
Using any other tense or incorrect subject-verb agreement would violate grammatical consistency.

Key Concept

Maintaining consistent verb tense to avoid shifts in construction within a sentence.
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Topics

Shifts in Construction

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