Choose the most suitable option to replace the underlined part of the sentence. If the sentence is already correct, select ‘No substitution required’.
The students was asked to submit their assignments by Friday.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct option to replace the underlined part of the sentence is "were asked to submit their assignments."
Explanation:
Subject-Verb Agreement: The subject of the sentence is "The students," which is plural. In English grammar, a plural subject must be paired with a plural verb.
"Was" is a singular verb used with singular subjects (e.g., "The student was").
"Were" is the correct plural past tense verb for the subject "students."
Infinitive Phrase: The word "to" must be followed by the base form of the verb.
"To submit" is grammatically correct.
"To submitted" (as seen in the first option) is incorrect because an infinitive cannot be in the past tense.
Verb Tense Consistency: The phrase "will asked" is incorrect because the modal verb "will" must be followed by a base verb ("will ask") or a passive construction ("will be asked"). Since the sentence describes a past event or a general instruction, "were asked" fits perfectly.