Select the correct verb form following the verb of sensory perception:
The forensic audio engineer heard the suspect ________ a coded phrase just before the telephone transmission was severed.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. whisper
Answer: whisper. Why not the others: 'to whisper' improperly includes the infinitive particle 'to'; 'whispered' would turn the complement into a passive participle; 'was whispering' creates an ungrammatical finite clause lacking a conjunction.
- Step 1: Identify the matrix verb: 'heard' is a verb of sensory perception (like 'see', 'hear', 'notice', 'watch').
- Step 2: In standard English, perception verbs take an object followed by a bare infinitive (for a complete punctual action) or a present participle (for an ongoing action): 'heard the suspect whisper'.
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