Select the option that correctly uses the subjunctive mood in formal English:
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. The university regulation mandates that every engineering student submit an ethics declaration before graduating.
- Step 1: The mandative subjunctive is used in noun clauses following verbs of demanding, requiring, or mandating (e.g., mandate, require, insist, demand).
- Step 2: The subjunctive uses the bare base form of the verb (infinitive without 'to') regardless of the person or number of the subject.
- Step 3: Therefore, 'that every student submit' (base form 'submit') is the grammatically correct subjunctive construction.
Answer
The university regulation mandates that every engineering student submit an ethics declaration before graduating.
Why not the others: 'submits' uses the indicative third-person singular rather than the required subjunctive base form; 'submitted' uses past indicative; 'will submit' incorrectly uses future modal.
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