Which verb tense best fits the blank: 'By next month, she _____ the project for a year.'

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is 'A: will have been working on.' In this sentence, the future perfect continuous tense is needed to convey that the action of working on the project will continue up to a specific future point (next month). Choices B, C, and D are incorrect. Choice B ('will work on') indicates a future action without emphasizing the duration of the action. Choice C ('has been working on') is in the present perfect continuous tense, which does not convey the future duration of the action. Choice D ('had worked on') is in the past perfect tense, which is not suitable for indicating an action continuing up to a future point.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Option A uses the correlative conjunction 'either/or' correctly by presenting two exclusive options. The structure 'either...or' is used to show a choice between two alternatives, and in this sentence, it clearly presents the options of coming to the party or staying home. Choice B incorrectly separates the options with a comma after 'either,' disrupting the correlative conjunction pair. Choice C uses 'whether' instead of 'either/or,' which changes the meaning and structure. Choice D uses 'either' incorrectly, as it should be followed by 'or' to form the correlative pair.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Choice A uses the subjunctive mood correctly as it expresses a wish or hypothetical situation. The phrase 'I wish I could have gone to the beach' implies a desire to have done something in the past that did not happen, which aligns with the usage of the subjunctive mood. Choice B uses the past subjunctive 'were' correctly in the conditional statement 'If I were you,' which is a common usage as well. Choice C, 'He insisted that she stay home,' is also correct as it follows the rule that the base form of the verb is used after verbs like insist, demand, request, etc., in the subjunctive mood. Choice D, 'Although it was raining, we decided to go for a walk,' does not use the subjunctive mood. It is a complex sentence with a subordinate clause but lacks the specific mood required to fit the context.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: The clause 'as the sun dipped below the horizon' functions as a subordinate clause because it provides additional information about the main clause 'We sat on the beach,' indicating a dependent relationship between the two clauses. An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence, which is not the case here. Appositive clauses rename or explain nouns, while noun clauses act as nouns within a sentence. In this context, 'as the sun dipped below the horizon' acts as a dependent clause, making it a subordinate clause.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Option C correctly uses the phrase 'by the way' to introduce additional information that is not directly related to the previous sentence, making it a natural and appropriate use of the phrase in casual conversation. Choices A, B, and D do not use 'by the way' in the same context as option C. Choice A incorrectly uses 'by the way' to convey winning the lottery, which is not a casual or incidental piece of information. Choice B incorrectly uses 'by the way' after a semicolon in a way that disrupts the flow of the sentence. Choice D correctly uses 'by the way' but the information provided about the movie starting time is not a casual or incidental addition, unlike in option C.