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Difficulty: MediumModal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

Before the trans-Atlantic flight was cleared for takeoff, the flight crew discovered an uncalibrated altitude sensor, realizing that the instrument __________ checked during the pre-flight inspection.

Which of the following modal verb phrases correctly completes the sentence?

  1. ought to have beenAnswer
  2. B
    might can have been
  3. C
    must to have been
  4. D
    oughted to have been

Answer

The phrase 'ought to have been' correctly completes the sentence to express a past duty or unfulfilled obligation.
The correct phrase 'ought to have been' properly uses the semi-modal auxiliary 'ought to' followed by the perfect passive auxiliary 'have been' and the past participle 'checked'. This structure correctly conveys that an action was obligatory in the past but was not performed.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the intended modality and temporal context of the sentence.
The context refers to a past action (pre-flight inspection) that was neglected or required, indicating a past unfulfilled obligation.
Understanding temporal reference and context determines whether a simple present modal or perfect modal structure is required.
2
Evaluate the grammatical structure required for past obligation in the passive voice.
The semi-modal 'ought to' combined with 'have been' + past participle ('checked') forms 'ought to have been checked'.
Modal auxiliaries express past unfulfilled duty or obligation using the perfect infinitive ('have + past participle').
3
Eliminate options violating modal auxiliary inflection and combination rules.
Phrases with double modals ('might can'), direct infinitive markers on pure modals ('must to'), or pseudo-inflections ('oughted') are rejected.
Modal verbs in English cannot be stacked together, inflected with tense suffixes, or followed by 'to' (except semi-modals like 'ought to' and 'used to').

Key Concept

Modal Auxiliaries and Expressing Past Obligation
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Topics

Modal Auxiliaries and Expressing Modality

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