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Grammatical Structure

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Question 761Question →

Fill in the blank with the grammatically correct pronoun that maintains proper pronoun-antecedent agreement in standard formal English.

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Every member of the women's athletics team was required to present official credentials before entering the stadium.
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Answer

The correct pronoun to fill in the blank is 'her'.
The correct pronoun is 'her' because the antecedent 'Every member' is grammatically singular, and the qualifier 'women's athletics team' establishes a feminine context. In formal writing, singular antecedents demand singular possessive pronouns aligned with the specified gender.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent to which the pronoun in the blank refers.
The antecedent phrase is 'Every member of the women's athletics team'.
The pronoun must refer back to the subject noun phrase to establish correct ownership of the credentials.
2
Determine the grammatical number and gender of the antecedent.
The head noun 'member' modified by 'Every' is singular, and the prepositional phrase 'of the women's athletics team' specifies female gender.
Indefinite determiners like 'every' render the noun phrase grammatically singular, while 'women's' explicitly restricts the gender context to female.
3
Select the third-person possessive pronoun that agrees in both number and gender with the antecedent.
The singular feminine possessive pronoun is 'her'.
In standard formal English grammar, a singular feminine antecedent requires the singular feminine possessive pronoun 'her'.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement in Number and Gender
Question 762Question →

Read the sentence below:

'Following the announcement of the court recess, the jury dispersed to _____ respective quarters to review the evidence individually.'

Which of the following pronouns correctly completes the sentence?

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Answer: their

Answer

The pronoun 'their' correctly completes the sentence.
In standard formal English, collective nouns such as 'jury', 'committee', or 'family' take plural pronouns when the sentence emphasizes the individual members acting separately rather than as a single unified body. The verbs and modifiers 'dispersed', 'respective', and 'individually' confirm that the jury members are acting as individuals, making the plural possessive determiner 'their' the grammatically correct choice.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the antecedent in the sentence.
The antecedent is the collective noun 'jury'.
Determining the subject noun is essential for establishing pronoun agreement.
2
Analyze whether the collective noun operates as a single unit or as separate individuals.
The keywords 'dispersed', 'respective', and 'individually' indicate that the members are acting separately as individuals.
Collective nouns take plural pronouns when the individuals within the group act separately.
3
Select the appropriate possessive pronoun that matches the plural agreement requirement.
The plural possessive determiner 'their' is selected.
It grammatically agrees with the plural sense of the antecedent and properly modifies 'respective quarters'.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Collective Nouns
Question 763Question →

Which grammatically correct adverb modifier completes the blank space in the sentence below?

Fill in the blanks below

The regulatory agency warned that industrial effluent was being discharged into the local river system.
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Answer

indiscriminately
The verb phrase 'was being discharged' expresses an action that must be modified by an adverb of manner. 'Indiscriminately' correctly fills the blank by specifying how the discharge took place.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the word being modified in the sentence structure.
The target to modify is the verb phrase 'was being discharged'.
Action verbs require adverbs, not adjectives, to specify the manner in which an action is conducted.
2
Determine the appropriate morphological form of the modifier.
The adverb form 'indiscriminately' is derived from the adjective 'indiscriminate'.
The suffix '-ly' is added to the adjective to form the manner adverb needed to modify the action verb.

Key Concept

Adverbial Modification of Action Verbs
Question 764Question →

In formal English syntax, how is the active interrogative sentence 'Has the federal ministry of works called off the rehabilitation project on the express highway?' correctly rendered in the passive voice?

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Answer: Has the rehabilitation project on the express highway been called off by the federal ministry of works?

Answer

Has the rehabilitation project on the express highway been called off by the federal ministry of works?
The correct form preserves the original present perfect aspect ('has... been called off'), retains the required prepositional particle 'off', aligns the singular auxiliary 'has' with the singular passive subject 'rehabilitation project', and maintains the interrogative structure.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the active sentence structure, tense, and main verb
The sentence is an interrogative in the Present Perfect tense ('Has... called off') with a phrasal verb ('called off') and singular direct object ('the rehabilitation project').
Voice transformation requires strict preservation of tense, aspect, and verb-particle structure.
2
Promote the active direct object to the passive subject position and match auxiliary concord
The singular noun phrase 'the rehabilitation project on the express highway' requires the singular auxiliary 'has'.
In passive interrogative structures, the auxiliary verb must agree with the new passive subject, not preceding agent nouns.
3
Form the passive verb phrase while retaining the phrasal verb particle
Present perfect passive verb phrase becomes 'has... been called off'.
Phrasal verbs must retain their attached particles ('off') during passive transformation.

Key Concept

Active to Passive Voice Transformation of Present Perfect Interrogatives with Phrasal Verbs
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 765Question →

Complete the sentence below by supplying the present-tense form of the verb 'to be' that correctly satisfies the rules of grammatical concord.

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One of the most effective strategies for reducing urban traffic congestion the expansion of public rapid transit networks.
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Answer

The correct verb to fill the blank is 'is'.
The singular indefinite construction headed by 'One' functions as the simple subject of the sentence. The intervening prepositional phrase 'of the most effective strategies...' contains the plural noun 'strategies', but object nouns inside modifier phrases do not determine verb number. Consequently, the singular verb 'is' is required.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the head subject of the sentence.
The core subject of the clause is the singular pronoun 'One'. The phrase 'of the most effective strategies for reducing urban traffic congestion' is a prepositional modifier.
Nouns contained within intervening prepositional phrases do not change the number of the true subject.
2
Apply the rule of subject-verb concord in the present tense.
Because the head subject 'One' is singular, the verb must also be third-person singular present tense, which is 'is'.
Subject-verb agreement dictates that a singular subject requires a singular verb form regardless of plural nouns appearing in intervening modifying phrases.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Intervening Prepositional Phrases
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 766Question →

Fill in the blank with the grammatically correct verb form to complete the sentence.

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By the time the expedition leader reached the base camp, the research team the surrounding terrain for more than two weeks.
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Answer

The correct verb form to fill the blank is 'had been surveying' (or 'had surveyed').
The past perfect continuous tense ('had been surveying') or past perfect tense ('had surveyed') is required because the action of surveying started and continued over a period of time before another completed past action ('reached').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the time frame and temporal markers in the sentence.
The clause 'By the time...' coupled with the simple past verb 'reached' sets a past point of reference, while 'for more than two weeks' indicates continuous duration prior to that past point.
An action that began and continued before a specific point in the past requires the past perfect or past perfect continuous aspect.
2
Select the appropriate tense form.
The past perfect continuous form 'had been surveying' (or past perfect 'had surveyed') correctly establishes the prior duration of the action relative to the leader's arrival.
Simple past or present tenses create a sequence of tenses error when anchored to a past event.

Key Concept

Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Aspect in Past Temporal Sequences
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 767Question →

Which of the following options correctly completes the sentence below?

'Scarcely had the pilot grounded the aircraft ________ the severe thunderstorm struck the airfield.'

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Answer: when

Answer

The word 'when' correctly completes the sentence because the negative adverbial modifier 'scarcely' standardly pairs with 'when'.
The introductory adverb 'scarcely' requires the conjunction 'when' to introduce the clause that immediately follows. In formal English, negative limiters like 'scarcely', 'hardly', and 'barely' trigger subject-auxiliary inversion in the main clause and must correlate with 'when'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sentence structure starting with an inverted negative adverb ('Scarcely had...').
Identify that 'scarcely' initiates an inverted clause describing an event immediately preceding another.
Initial negative adverbs such as 'scarcely', 'hardly', and 'barely' require specific correlative conjunctions to join the subsequent time clause.
2
Apply the rule of correlative adverbial pairs.
Pair 'scarcely' with 'when'.
Standard English grammatical convention dictates that 'scarcely' and 'hardly' take 'when' (or 'before'), whereas 'no sooner' takes 'than'.

Key Concept

Correlative Adverbial Modifiers and Inverted Clause Structures
Question 768Question →

Professor Okafor is one of those distinguished scholars who ________ immense dedication to preserving indigenous African languages.

Which of the options correctly completes the sentence above?

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Answer: demonstrate

Answer

The correct option is 'demonstrate' because the relative pronoun 'who' modifies the plural antecedent 'distinguished scholars'.
In English concord rules, when the construction 'one of those [plural noun] who...' is used, the relative pronoun 'who' refers to the plural noun phrase ('distinguished scholars'). Consequently, the verb inside the relative clause must be plural ('demonstrate').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main clause and the relative clause in the sentence.
Main clause: 'Professor Okafor is one of those distinguished scholars'; Relative clause: 'who [verb] immense dedication...'
Determining clause boundaries isolates the verb needing agreement.
2
Identify the antecedent of the relative pronoun 'who'.
The antecedent is the plural noun phrase 'distinguished scholars', not 'one'.
In the construction 'one of those [plural noun] who...', the relative pronoun 'who' refers directly to the plural noun that immediately precedes it.
3
Select the verb form that agrees in number with the plural antecedent.
The plural present-tense verb 'demonstrate' is required.
Plural antecedents require plural verbs in relative clauses.

Key Concept

Relative Clause Concord (One of those... who + plural verb)
Question 769Question →

The chief environmental inspector noted during the panel review that if the manufacturing firm ______ its safety protocols before the audit, the severe industrial leak would have been avoided. Which option correctly completes the sentence?

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Answer: had upgraded

Answer

The option containing 'had upgraded' is the correct verb form to complete the sentence.
The correct response uses 'had upgraded' because the sentence establishes a third conditional construction (hypothetical past condition leading to a hypothetical past result). In standard English syntax, the 'if'-clause must take the past perfect form when paired with 'would have + past participle' in the main clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the main/result clause of the conditional sentence.
The clause contains 'would have been avoided', indicating a third conditional structure expressing a past unreal/counterfactual outcome.
The result clause of a third conditional sentence specifies the hypothetical outcome of an unfulfilled past event.
2
Determine the required tense for the subordinate 'if'-clause.
The 'if'-clause requires the past perfect aspect (had + past participle).
In standard English grammar, third conditional condition clauses strictly take the past perfect tense to set up the hypothetical past situation.
3
Select the verb choice that supplies the past perfect form.
'had upgraded' correctly fulfills both the tense and aspect demands of the sentence.
It combines the past auxiliary 'had' with the past participle 'upgraded'.

Key Concept

Third Conditional Tense and Aspect Structure
Question 770Question →

Complete the sentence below by writing the correct passive verb phrase in the blank to complete the passive transformation of the active event.

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Before the official inauguration commenced, the new laboratory equipment by the senior technical inspectors.
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Answer

had been tested (or 'had been thoroughly tested')
The sentence establishes a past time frame ('before the official inauguration commenced') prior to which the testing action was completed. The passive voice of the past perfect tense requires 'had been' combined with the past participle 'tested' (or 'thoroughly tested').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the tense and aspect required by the sentence context.
The action occurred prior to another past event ('before the official inauguration commenced'), requiring the past perfect tense.
The past perfect tense indicates a completed action prior to a specified point in the past.
2
Construct the passive verb phrase for the past perfect tense.
The past perfect passive structure consists of 'had been' + past participle ('tested').
Transforming an active past perfect verb into the passive voice requires inserting the auxiliary 'been' between 'had' and the past participle verb form.

Key Concept

Past Perfect Passive Voice Transformation
Question 771Question →

Which of the following options correctly completes the sentence below?

'Every one of the senior analysts in the financial department was requested to submit _____ quarterly audit report before the executive briefing.'

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Answer: his or her

Answer

The phrase 'his or her' is correct because the singular indefinite pronoun 'Every one' is the true grammatical antecedent of the sentence.
The sentence subject is headed by the singular indefinite expression 'Every one'. In formal English, singular indefinite pronouns require singular pronouns ('his or her') for agreement, regardless of intervening plural modifiers like 'of the senior analysts'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the true antecedent of the sentence.
The subject head is the singular indefinite pronoun 'Every one', not the plural noun 'analysts' inside the modifying prepositional phrase.
Prepositional phrases like 'of the senior analysts' modify the head noun but do not change its singular grammatical number.
2
Determine the required pronoun agreement rule.
A singular indefinite pronoun antecedent requires a singular possessive pronoun.
Standard formal English requires pronouns to agree strictly in number with their grammatical antecedents.
3
Select the option that fulfills both singular number and appropriate possessive determiner role.
The phrase 'his or her' correctly provides singular possessive agreement.
It functions as a possessive modifier for 'quarterly audit report' and agrees in singular number with 'Every one'.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Singular Indefinite Pronouns
Question 772Question →

Fill in the blank with the correct present-tense form of the auxiliary verb that satisfies the rules of grammatical concord.

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Ten thousand naira the exact amount required to register for the national examination.
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Answer

The correct verb form is 'is'.
In formal English grammar, expressions specifying amounts of money, distance, mass, or time function as single collective units and require singular verbs. Therefore, the singular auxiliary verb 'is' is correct.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the subject of the sentence to determine its grammatical number.
The subject 'Ten thousand naira' represents a total sum of money.
Nouns indicating specific amounts of money, periods of time, distances, or measurements are treated as a single unified quantity.
2
Apply the rule of concord for monetary amounts.
A singular verb must follow a subject representing a singular sum of money.
Subject-verb agreement requires a singular subject concept to agree with a singular verb form.
3
Select the correct present-tense singular verb form.
The singular verb 'is' correctly completes the sentence.
'is' agrees in number and tense with the singular concept of a single monetary sum.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Concord with Expressions of Amount and Money
Question 773Question →

Complete the sentence below by supplying the correct form of the verb to indicate the appropriate past sequence of events.

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By the time the chief auditor arrived at the branch, the accounting team all the discrepancy reports from the previous quarter.
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Answer

had compiled
The expression 'by the time' introduces a past point in time expressed in the simple past tense ('arrived'). An action completed prior to that past point must be expressed using the past perfect tense, which consists of the auxiliary verb 'had' followed by the past participle of the main verb (such as 'had compiled').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the temporal sequence indicated by the time expression 'By the time'.
The clause 'By the time the chief auditor arrived' establishes a point in past time (simple past).
When an action occurs prior to a specific point in the past, the past perfect tense is required to show precedence.
2
Select the correct verb tense for the completed earlier action.
The auxiliary 'had' combined with the past participle (e.g., 'compiled') forms the past perfect tense ('had compiled').
The past perfect tense ('had' + past participle) accurately conveys that the compilation of reports was completed before the auditor's arrival.

Key Concept

Sequence of Tenses (Past Perfect with 'By the time')
Question 774Question →

Complete the sentence by supplying the grammatically appropriate adverb modifier in the blank space provided.

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Although the budget proposal was drawn up under tight deadlines, the finance committee reviewed the document before submitting their final recommendation to the board.
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Answer

The correct response requires an adverb of manner such as 'meticulously' or 'thoroughly' to modify the action verb 'reviewed'.
The verb 'reviewed' demands an adverb of manner (such as 'meticulously' or 'thoroughly') to correctly describe how the action was performed.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word being modified in the sentence.
The word being modified is the verb 'reviewed'.
An adverb is required because modifiers of main verbs in a sentence must take adverbial form rather than adjectival form.
2
Determine the required grammatical category and semantic context.
The sentence requires an adverb of manner expressing care or detail (e.g., 'meticulously', 'thoroughly', 'carefully').
The clause describes how the committee carried out the action of reviewing the budget document.

Key Concept

Adverbial Modification of Verbs
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 775Question →

Which of the following sentences uses adjectives, adverbs, and modifiers correctly without grammatical error?

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Answer: Having thoroughly analyzed the soil samples, the agricultural scientist presented a comprehensive report to the committee.

Answer

The sentence beginning with 'Having thoroughly analyzed the soil samples, the agricultural scientist presented a comprehensive report to the committee.' is grammatically correct.
The correct option properly aligns the introductory participial phrase ('Having thoroughly analyzed...') with the logical subject performing the action ('the agricultural scientist'). Furthermore, the adverb 'thoroughly' correctly modifies the participle 'analyzed', and the adjective 'comprehensive' appropriately describes 'report'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the introductory modifier clause in each option.
Identified that 'Having thoroughly analyzed the soil samples' is a participial modifier requiring a logical human agent immediately following the comma.
Participial phrases at the beginning of a sentence must directly modify the subject of the principal clause.
2
Check modifier placement and subject alignment across options.
The option placing 'the agricultural scientist' directly after the comma avoids the dangling modifier error found in the option placing 'a comprehensive report' there.
A report cannot analyze soil samples; only the scientist can perform that action.
3
Verify correct choice of adverb vs. adjective and word usage.
The adverb 'thoroughly' correctly modifies the verb form 'analyzed', and 'comprehensive' correctly modifies the noun 'report'.
Adverbs modify verbs and participial forms, while adjectives modify nouns.

Key Concept

Participial Modifiers and Adverb/Adjective Functions
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 776Question →

Read the sentence below:

"By the time the municipal power authority restored electricity to the industrial zone, the factory workers ______ the manual assembly lines for over four hours."

Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: had been operating

Answer

The correct verb form is 'had been operating'.
The verb phrase 'had been operating' correctly uses the past perfect continuous tense to show an action that started in the past, continued over a specified duration ('for over four hours'), and existed prior to another past event ('restored').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary past reference point in the context clause.
The action of restoring power is expressed in the simple past tense ('restored').
This establishes a past timeframe for the entire sequence.
2
Determine the temporal relationship and aspect of the target verb.
The workers' activity began prior to the restoration of power and continued over a stated period ('for over four hours').
An ongoing action preceding another past event requires the past perfect continuous aspect.
3
Select the verb structure that expresses past perfect continuous aspect.
'had been operating' correctly combines the past auxiliary ('had'), aspect marker ('been'), and present participle ('operating').
It fulfills all grammatical requirements for tense sequence and aspectual duration.

Key Concept

Past Perfect Continuous Aspect in Tense Sequence
Question 777Question →

Complete the sentence below by supplying the correct pronoun that maintains proper pronoun-antecedent agreement in standard formal English.

Fill in the blanks below

Neither the principal investigator nor the environmental technicians suspected that calibration readings had been corrupted by the magnetic anomaly.
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Answer

their
When compound antecedents are joined by the correlative conjunction 'neither... nor', the pronoun must agree in number with the nearer antecedent (the proximity rule). Here, 'environmental technicians' is plural and closest to the blank, requiring the plural possessive pronoun 'their'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the compound antecedent connected by 'Neither... nor'.
The subjects joined by the correlative conjunction are 'the principal investigator' (singular) and 'the environmental technicians' (plural).
In standard formal English, when antecedents of different grammatical numbers are joined by 'neither... nor', the pronoun must agree with the nearer antecedent.
2
Determine which antecedent is closer to the pronoun position.
'the environmental technicians' is the antecedent closer to the blank and is plural.
The proximity rule dictates that agreement is governed by the noun phrase immediately preceding the verb phrase containing the blank.
3
Select the possessive pronoun that matches the plural antecedent.
The correct plural possessive pronoun is 'their'.
'their' correctly agrees in number with the plural noun 'technicians'.

Key Concept

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement with Correlative Conjunctions
Question 778Question →

Which verb form correctly completes the sentence below to satisfy the rules of grammatical concord?

Fill in the blanks below

A series of technical workshops on renewable energy systems conducted by the visiting engineers last month.
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Answer

was
The sentence requires the singular past verb 'was' because the true subject of the clause is the singular noun phrase led by 'A series'. Expressions structured as 'a series of [plural noun]' take a singular verb in standard English concord.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the head noun of the subject phrase.
The head noun is 'series' in the noun phrase 'A series of technical workshops'.
The head noun 'series' is singular when specifying a single sequence or collection, despite being followed by the plural prepositional object 'workshops'.
2
Determine the appropriate auxiliary verb based on temporal context and subject concord.
The singular past auxiliary verb 'was' is required to agree with the singular head noun 'series' and temporal marker 'last month'.
Under standard grammatical concord rules, a singular subject noun takes a singular verb.

Key Concept

Subject-Verb Agreement with Nouns of Multitude and Noun Phrases (A series of...)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 779Question →

Complete the sentence below by entering the grammatically correct modifier in the blank space provided.

Fill in the blanks below

Having analyzed the seismic records thoroughly, the geophysicist argued that the fault line was moving than previously estimated.
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Answer

much more rapidly
The correct response requires a comparative adverbial phrase to modify the action verb 'moving' alongside the conjunction 'than'. 'Much more rapidly' correctly combines the degree intensifier 'much' with the comparative adverb 'more rapidly'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word being modified and its part of speech.
The target word is the verb phrase 'was moving', which requires an adverb to describe the manner of movement.
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, whereas adjectives modify nouns.
2
Determine the required degree of comparison and intensifier.
The word 'than' signals a comparative construction, requiring the comparative adverb form 'more rapidly' intensified by an adverb of degree such as 'much', 'far', or 'significantly'.
Comparative adverbs ending in '-ly' take 'more', and intensifiers like 'much' modify comparative adverbs correctly.

Key Concept

Comparative Adverbial Modification and Degree Modifiers
Question 780Question →

Read the active sentence below and complete its passive transformation. What is the correct passive verb phrase to fill in the blank?

Fill in the blanks below

Active: The panel of inquiry was looking into the financial irregularities.
Passive: The financial irregularities by the panel of inquiry.
Show answer & explanation

Answer

were being looked into
The active sentence is in the past continuous tense with a prepositional verb phrase ('was looking into'). When converting to passive, the plural subject ('financial irregularities') takes the plural auxiliary 'were', followed by continuous marker 'being', the past participle 'looked', and the required particle 'into'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the tense and aspect of the active sentence verb phrase.
The active verb 'was looking into' is in the past continuous tense and contains the preposition 'into'.
Passive conversion must strictly preserve original tense, continuous aspect, and attached preposition.
2
Determine subject-verb agreement for the new subject in the passive sentence.
The object 'the financial irregularities' becomes the new plural subject, requiring the plural auxiliary 'were'.
Plural noun subjects demand plural auxiliary verbs.
3
Construct the passive continuous verb phrase.
Past continuous passive formula is 'was/were' + 'being' + past participle + preposition ('were being looked into').
Combining 'were being' with 'looked into' forms the correct passive construction.

Key Concept

Active and Passive Voice Transformation
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