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Difficulty: Very hardConjunctions and Clause Structure

Read the sentence below:

"The administrative panel resolved to award the research grant to ________ proposed the most viable methodology during the defense."

Which connective pronoun properly functions as the grammatical subject of the subordinate noun clause?

  1. whoeverAnswer
  2. B
    whomever
  3. C
    whomsoever
  4. D
    whichever

Answer

The correct option is 'whoever', as it fulfills the subject role for the verb 'proposed' inside the subordinate noun clause.
'whoever' is correct because the pronoun serves as the grammatical subject of the verb 'proposed' inside the dependent noun clause ('whoever proposed the most viable methodology...'). The entire noun clause acts as the object of the preposition 'to'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the syntactic structure of the dependent clause
The clause '________ proposed the most viable methodology during the defense' functions as a unit acting as the object of the preposition 'to'.
Determining the boundary of the sub-clause clarifies the function of the missing element.
2
Determine the internal grammatical case required within the sub-clause
The sub-clause lacks a subject for the verb phrase 'proposed the most viable methodology'.
The case of a relative pronoun in a nominal clause is determined by its internal role within that clause, not by the governing element of the main clause.
3
Select the appropriate subject-case relative pronoun
'whoever' is nominative/subjective, whereas 'whomever' is objective.
Because the pronoun acts as the subject of 'proposed', nominative case ('whoever') is required.

Key Concept

Nominal Clause Subject Pronoun Agreement (Case Assignment in Relative Clauses)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Conjunctions and Clause Structure

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