Top House Democrats, anxiously awaiting the findings of the special co

Question

Top House Democrats, anxiously awaiting the findings of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III,  insists on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of if the Justice Department accuses President in wrongdoing.

a) insists on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of if the Justice Department accuses President in wrongdoing
b) insisted on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of whether the Justice Department accuses President of wrongdoing.
c) insists on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of if the Justice Department accused President in wrongdoing
d) insisted on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of whether the Justice Department accused President in wrongdoing.
e) insists on Sunday which their own investigations must go on regardless of if the Justice Department accuses President in wrongdoing

Source: One of the GMAT Tutions from India

LMP · Answer

Hi Arup , 
What was the approach?

ArupRS · Answer

LMP

First, what is the subject? The subject is "Top House Democrats" - Plural subject. So, A.C and E are wrong. 
Now we are left with B and D.
This is a tricky part. You can either use idiom or S-V agreement again. Accused of is idiomatic but nit accused in(Please verify this part).
Accuses is the correct choice. Accused is not correct. 
So B is correct.

Regards,
Arup

LMP · Answer

thank you Arup. Missed the Idiom part. Even Iw as confused between B and D.

AkshdeepS · Answer

a) insists on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of if the Justice Department accuses President in wrongdoing

Subject is Plural (THDs) , therefore verb "insists" is wrong. We need "insisted" from the given choices.

b) insisted on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of whether the Justice Department accuses President of wrongdoing.

c) insists on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of if the Justice Department accused President in wrongdoing

Subject is Plural (THDs) , therefore verb "insists" is wrong. We need "insisted" from the given choices.

We need "accuses" to make sense and not "accused"

d) insisted on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of whether the Justice Department accused President in wrongdoing.

We need "accuses" to make sense and not "accused"

e) insists on Sunday which their own investigations must go on regardless of if the Justice Department accuses President in wrongdoing

Subject is Plural (THDs) , therefore verb "insists" is wrong. We need "insisted" from the given choices.

Use of "which" is wrong here.

rakeshtewatia0105 · Answer

Can anyone please let me know which one is correct ...." President of wrongdoing" or " president in wrongdoing"

Posted from my mobile device

ArupRS · Answer

Actual question should be  accuses  president  of  wrongdoing v/s  accuses  president  in  wrongdoing.
I think  accuses of  is the correct form.
Regards,
Arup

AkshdeepS · Answer

Correct idiom is Accuse X of Y.

You should not connect "President + of"

You should look for "Accuse + of"

In place of President, it can be anything else.

Accuse  teacher  of  slapping

Accuse  staff  of  misbehaving

Accuse  John  of  robbing

eswarchethu135 · Answer

Top House Democrats, anxiously awaiting the findings of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III,  insists on Sunday that their own investigations must go on regardless of if the Justice Department accuses President in wrongdoing .

There are two actions here. 1) Robert insisted on Sunday that their own investigations must go on. 2) Whether justice accuses president in wrongdoing. Here action 1 is completed and action 2 is yet to happen. So action we have to use insisted rather than insists and for action 2 we have to use futuristic accuses rather than accused. So this choice can be  ELIMINATED 
 
This is the only choice which conveys the intended meaning. So  CORRECT 
 
Same error as in option A. So  ELIMINATED 
 
Here accused is used instead if accuses. So  ELIMINATED 
 
Same error as in option A. So  ELIMINATED

OPTION:  B

AjiteshArun · Answer

B is itself incorrect. We can't "accuse President".

You can fix B by: 1. Adding a name for the person ( accuses President Trump of wrongdoing ) or 2. Adding a the before President ( accuses the President of wrongdoing ).

AkshdeepS · Answer

This difference is so subtle that it goes unnoticed every time.

Please clear my thought process ; When we say only "President" , we are using a "noun" that has no real reference or has a general reference, and that is wrong. When we say "President Trump" or " The President", we mean someone particular about whom we are talking. I have two queries : 1. When we can remove the articles " A , An, and The" before the noun? 2. When this removal of article changes the meaning and how the meaning changes?

LMP · Answer

I agree with you Ajitesh. You are right. It should have been " President Trump" or " the President" .

AjiteshArun · Answer

Check whether the noun is plural or singular (if it is singular, check whether it is a countable noun). We don't always need an article before a plural noun unless we're trying to specify something (but we must have something before a singular noun, as long as it is not a name or a non-count noun). So we can say:
 Movies are great.

but we can't say
  Movie is great.

This doesn't apply to mass (non-count) nouns, however, so something like this is fine:
 Water is essential for life.

Both  this article  and  this article  do a more complete job of explaining this.

Gagan0009 · Answer

President of wrongdoing goes better here.

jrk23 · Answer

Isn't accuse president of wrongdoing -----implies "president of wrong doing".......

Also please let me know "accused for ..." is correct or not .....or " accused of ...." is correct?

because "president of X" ....doesn't make sense to me.

thanks

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi jrk23 , I see your point (and you may be interested in this official question ).

Accuse X of Y is idiomatic. For is not an acceptable replacement for of in that construction.

Top House Democrats, anxiously awaiting the findings of the special co

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