Select the grammatically correct word order:
Under no circumstances _____ allowed to operate the heavy workshop machinery without supervisory approval.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. are apprentices
- Step 1: Identify the fronted negative prepositional phrase 'Under no circumstances', which requires subject-auxiliary inversion.
- Step 2: Invert the auxiliary verb 'are' and the plural subject 'apprentices': 'Under no circumstances are apprentices allowed to...'.
Answer
are apprentices.
Why not the others: 'apprentices are' retains non-inverted word order which is ungrammatical following fronted negative phrases; 'apprentices were' lacks inversion and changes the general present regulation to past tense; 'should apprentices' creates an incomplete passive construction lacking the required auxiliary 'be'.
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