What tense is the following sentence? Government policy has the ability to affect decisions about child-bearing and family structure.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The task asks us to identify the tense of the sentence provided.
Option a. present continuous: This would be something like 'Government policy is affecting decisions...' using the -ing form of the verb and indicating an ongoing action. In the given sentence, the main verb is 'has,' not 'is affecting,' so present continuous is not correct.
Option b. present simple: The core verb is 'has' (the simple present form of 'have'), paired with 'the ability to affect' to express a general, timeless capacity of government policy. This matches the typical construction of statements about general facts or regular truths in the present simple, so this option is correct.
Option c. present perfect: This would require a form like 'has had' or 'have affected' showing relevance to the present from a past action. The sentence uses 'has' as a simple present auxiliary with no past or perfect aspect, so present perfect does not fit.
Overall, the sentence conveys a general truth about capability in the present using the simple present form, not continuous or perfect aspects. Therefore, the present simple option correctly describes the tense.

ME Mod4 Intake 2A - 14 Apr 2025 - 4 Jul 2025 Foundations of English - Grammar Review - Quiz 2

What tense is the following sentence? Government policy has the ability to affect decisions about child-bearing and family structure.

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ME Mod4 Intake 2A - 14 Apr 2025 - 4 Jul 2025 Foundations of English - Grammar Review - Quiz 2

What tense is the following sentence? Government policy has the ability to affect decisions about child-bearing and family structure.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

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