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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Complete the sentence below by supplying the grammatically correct verb form for the blank space.

Answer:The lead investigator reviewed the altered records as if he 【had witnessed】 the forgery taking place.

Answer

had witnessed
In standard English grammar, when the phrase 'as if' or 'as though' introduces a statement contrary to past reality, the past perfect verb form ('had witnessed') must be used to represent the unreal past condition.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the main clause tense and the subordinate conjunction.
The main verb 'reviewed' is in the simple past tense, and it is followed by the hypothetical conjunction 'as if'.
The construction sets up a counterfactual scenario occurring prior to or during the main past action.
2
Select the correct subjunctive verb form and aspect for an unreal past situation.
The past perfect form 'had witnessed' correctly indicates an unreal or hypothetical past state.
When 'as if' introduces a clause expressing a situation contrary to past fact, English grammatical rules mandate the use of the past perfect subjunctive ('had' + past participle).

Key Concept

Unreal Past and Past Perfect Subjunctive with 'as if'
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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