Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: see
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This grammar question again focuses on the correct verb form after a modal auxiliary. The sentence contains the modal must followed by a bracketed verb form. The candidate must know that modals are followed by the bare infinitive and choose the correct form accordingly. This structure is very common in spoken and written English, especially when expressing strong obligation or necessity.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Modal verbs such as must always take the base form of the main verb, without to and without any tense marking. Therefore we say must go, must leave, must study, and must see. The word seen is a past participle, used in perfect constructions with have or had, not directly after must. The goal is to identify the bare infinitive of see that follows must correctly in the sentence. The approach is to pair must with each option and choose the grammatically and semantically correct one.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify must as the modal auxiliary expressing obligation.Step 2: Recall the rule: must is followed by the base form of the verb, without to and without ed or ing endings.Step 3: Check the options. Saw is the simple past form, seeing is the ing form, and see is the base form.Step 4: Substitute each into the sentence: must saw, must seeing, must see, must seen. Only must see is grammatically correct and widely used.Step 5: Therefore, the correct improvement is see.
Verification / Alternative check:
To double check, compare with similar sentences: I must meet him, I must call her, I must talk to them. In all cases the verb that follows must is in the base form. If we wanted to use seen correctly, we would say I have seen him, which is a different tense and does not include must. This comparison confirms that see is the correct complement of must in this structure and that the original bracketed form seen is wrong.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Saw: This is the simple past tense and cannot follow must directly. The combination must saw is ungrammatical. Seeing: This participle form would require a helping verb like am or was if it were to be used, as in I am seeing him. No improvement: Keeping seen would produce must seen, which is also ungrammatical because seen must be preceded by have or had. Hence all other options fail to follow the rule that a modal is followed by the base verb.
Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes confuse the perfect modal form must have seen with the simple modal form must see. In fast reading, they forget that in the question the auxiliary have is missing and therefore mistakenly accept seen. Another frequent error is to think that a more complex form like seeing or seen sounds more advanced, when actually the simplest base form after a modal is correct. Remembering that modals strip the main verb down to its basic shape is a reliable way to avoid such mistakes.
Final Answer:
The correct replacement for the bracketed part is see, so the sentence should read, I absolutely must see him, however painful it may be for me.
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