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Question

Difficulty: EasyVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Read the following sentence: 'It is high time the municipal council _____ effective measures to curb illegal waste disposal.' Which of the options below correctly completes the sentence?

  1. implementedAnswer
  2. B
    implements
  3. C
    should implement
  4. D
    has implemented

Answer

implemented
In standard English usage, the expression 'it is high time' followed by a subject requires a simple past verb form ('implemented') to express an action that ought to have been taken already.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory idiom and clause structure.
The sentence begins with 'It is high time' followed by the explicit subject 'the municipal council'.
Fixed structures beginning with 'It is time' or 'It is high time' follow specific subjunctive/unreal past tense rules in English grammar.
2
Apply the tense rule for unreal past expressions.
When 'it is high time' is followed by a subject, the governing verb must be in the simple past tense.
This construction implies that an action is overdue and needs to happen immediately.
3
Select the correct simple past verb form from the choices.
'implemented' is the simple past tense form of the verb.
It fulfills the structural requirement of the unreal past pattern.

Key Concept

Unreal Past Subjunctive with 'It is high time'
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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