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Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Complete the sentence below by filling in the blank with the correct verb form to complete the subjunctive construction.

Answer:The regulatory agency insisted that the pharmaceutical manufacturer 【halt】 the distribution of the affected drug batch immediately.

Answer

The correct verb form to fill the blank is the uninflected base verb 'halt' (or 'stop' / 'cease').
When a sentence features a reporting verb of requirement or command such as 'insist', 'demand', or 'recommend' followed by a 'that'-clause, the verb in the dependent clause must be in the mandative subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood uses the uninflected base form of the verb (such as 'halt', 'stop', or 'cease') irrespective of tense or subject number.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the main clause verb and clause structure.
The main clause uses the verb 'insisted' followed by a 'that'-clause expressing a mandate or demand.
Verbs expressing demands, requests, recommendations, or mandates (e.g., insist, demand, propose, recommend) trigger the mandative subjunctive mood in the subordinate clause.
2
Determine the correct inflection for a verb in the mandative subjunctive mood.
The embedded verb must be in its bare base form (e.g., 'halt') without tense markers (-ed) or agreement suffixes (-s).
In formal English tested by JAMB UTME, the mandative subjunctive requires the base form of the verb regardless of the subject ('pharmaceutical manufacturer') or the past tense of the main verb ('insisted').

Key Concept

Mandative Subjunctive Mood
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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