Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence below?

"The managing director declared that he would rather the executive committee ______ the proposal at last week's session instead of deferring the decision."

  1. had approvedAnswer
  2. B
    approved
  3. C
    has approved
  4. D
    approves

Answer

The correct form is 'had approved'.
When the structure 'would rather + subject' refers to a past action (indicated here by 'at last week's session'), the verb must be in the past perfect tense ('had approved') to express an unfulfilled past preference or regret.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure following the preference expression 'would rather'.
The expression 'would rather' is followed by a distinct subject ('the executive committee').
When 'would rather' is followed by a clause with a subject, the verb must take a subjunctive/unreal past tense form.
2
Identify the time reference of the action in the clause.
The phrase 'at last week's session' clearly indicates a past time reference.
Time markers dictate whether past simple or past perfect is required.
3
Select the verb tense corresponding to an unrealized past preference.
'would rather + subject + past perfect' is the required formula for past unreal situations.
The past perfect form 'had approved' correctly conveys that the approval did not happen in the past.

Key Concept

Unreal Past Tense with 'Would Rather'
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

More questions from this topic