Fill in the blank with most appropriate option:
The manager wants the report ___ by tomorrow morning.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
submitted
Explanation
The sentence requires the correct verb form to complete the causative-style structure.
The structure of the sentence follows the pattern: Subject + Verb of wishing/wanting (wants) + Object (the report) + Objective Complement.
Because "the report" is an inanimate object, it cannot perform the action of submitting by itself; instead, it must receive the action. This passive relationship requires a past participle (V3) to act as the objective complement. Therefore, submitted is the only grammatically correct option.
The other choices are incorrect for the following reasons:
Submit and submits are base/present tense forms that imply the report is actively doing something, which is logically impossible.
Submitting is a present participle, which would imply the report is currently in the middle of actively performing an action.
Key Points
When using verbs like want, need, or get followed by a passive object, the formula is Want/Need + Object + Past Participle (V3) (e.g., I want the car washed, He wants the work done).