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UNSTOPPABLE12

Hello daagh could we say that after the simi-colon the subject of "could" is "that" and the noun "actions" does not have a verb and that is the reason why the second part is a dependent clause and not an IC.
Hi UNSTOPPABLE12, taking it on behalf of daagh Sir, since he is not currently active on the forum.

In D, the structure after the semicolon is:

actions that could sacrifice children's lives to a phantom national interest.

So, the structure is:

i) Noun (actions)
+
ii) Noun-modifier (that could sacrifice children's lives to a phantom national interest)

For all practical purposes, Noun + Noun-modifier acts as a phrase (and not as a clause). Reiterating, second part is not a Dependent clause; at best, the second part contains a dependent clause that could sacrifice children's lives to a phantom national interest.

You can watch our video on Independent and Dependent clause.


EducationAisle, thank you for your prompt reply , one last question , is "can" considered a finite verb? so if for example we had "He could"would it be considered independent one? (I'm curious because I saw the "He worked" example in your video) I'm asking because in future SC problems I might encounter "could" and I'm wondering on whether I should look for its subject.
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UNSTOPPABLE12
one last question , is "can" considered a finite verb? so if for example we had "He could"would it be considered independent one? (I'm curious because I saw the "He worked" example in your video) I'm asking because in future SC problems I might encounter "could" and I'm wondering on whether I should look for its subject.
Without going into grammatical jargon, can or could should play a similar role, when it comes to determining independent/dependent clause.

For example: Pete can do his homework and Pete can do his homework are both independent clauses.
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The Russian government, in response to the actions of an American adoptive mother who sent her adopted son back to Russia, may demand that an American adoptive parent provide his or her child with an environment that preserves the child’s Russian language and culture; some argue that such actions could sacrifice children's lives to a phantom national interest.

(A) may demand that an American adoptive parent provide his or her child with an environment that preserves the child’s Russian language and culture; some argue that such actions could sacrifice children's lives to a phantom national interest.

(B) may demand an American adoptive parent provide his or her child with an environment that preserves the child’s Russian language and culture; some argue that such actions could sacrifice children's lives to a phantom national interest.

(E) may demand that an American adoptive parent provides his or her child with an environment that preserves the child’s Russian language and culture; some argue that such actions could sacrifice children's lives to a phantom national interest.

After getting the question incorrect I was able to spot all the mistakes in B, C, D & E. HOWEVER, I am confused because I thought that the word "could" is the second half of the sentence is wrong. Isn't the second part of the sentence also using subjunctive in the phrase "argue that". I thought that it should be "some argue that such action could sacrifice". Is the could necessary here for the meaning because it shows that they believe that the consequence of the actions are only possible not necessary?

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Why the "that" in B is a must???

I demand him do that for me - would be correct??
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The form of the command subjunctive is "bossy verb" + THAT + subject + bare infinitive (the infinitive form without "to."). That last verb is not really plural, as some commenters are saying.

So we'd say "I demand that he do that for me." We don't don't say "I demand you." We can use that construction with "command," but then we don't use the subjunctive: "I command you to do that for me."

A few other command subjunctive examples:

I recommend that she stay on the team.
The committee ordered that the results be made public.
We suggest that he arrive at least 30 minutes early.
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DmitryFarber

Thanks for the reply, are you saying the "THAT" is mandatory in that expression?
I feel like I've seen a SC question where subjunctive verb was used and the "THAT" was removed from the correct answer choice, but I cannot find you a reference.

But if you tell me yes, I'll trust you and put it in my notes.
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We do need "that" to create the command subjunctive form, but that doesn't mean we can't use these "bossy verbs" in other ways. There's no such thing as a subjunctive verb. We can say "I demand a raise" or "The evidence suggests that the government is involved." It's just that if we want to use them to show that an action was called for or recommended, we use the command subjunctive.
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