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Question

Difficulty: MediumModal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

Fill in the blank in the sentence below using the correct past modal auxiliary form of the verb in parentheses to express that an action was performed unnecessarily.

Answer:Because all conference papers were uploaded to the portal prior to the event, the coordinator 【need not have printed】 (print) paper copies for the attendees.

Answer

need not have printed (or needn't have printed)
The modal construction 'need not have printed' (or 'needn't have printed') is used in English to indicate that an action was completed in the past, but in retrospect, it was unnecessary.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the modality required by the sentence context.
The context describes an action (printing paper copies) that was carried out in the past even though it was not required because the papers were already available digitally.
The expression of a past action performed without necessity requires the modal structure 'need not have + past participle'.
2
Formulate the correct verb phrase using the verb 'print'.
Combining 'need not have' with the past participle 'printed' yields 'need not have printed' or its contracted form 'needn't have printed'.
This structure accurately distinguishes between an action done unnecessarily ('need not have printed') and one that was avoided because it was unnecessary ('did not need to print').

Key Concept

Expressing Past Unnecessary Actions using 'Need Not Have'
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Modal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

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