Has Vs have!

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Has Vs have!

by apurva.jalit » Thu Sep 12, 2013 10:03 am
When ethnic groups intermarry, it is likely to result in cognitive benefits; indeed, perhaps already having contributed to the Flynn effect, which has been the worldwide rise in average IQ score by as much as three points per decade over most of the past century.
A)When ethnic groups intermarry, it is likely to result in cognitive benefits; indeed, perhaps having contributed to the Flynn effect, which has been
B)The intermarriage of ethnic groups is likely to result in cognitive benefits and may indeed have contributed to the Flynn effect,
C)When ethnic groups intermarry, they are likely to result in cognitive benefits and may indeed have contributed to the Flynn effect, the name given to
D)Ethnic groups that intermarry will likely result in cognitive benefits; indeed, possibly having contributed to the Flynn effect,
E)The intermarriage of ethnic groups, likely to result in cognitive benefits, indeed have possibly contributed to the Flynn effect, the name given to

OA is B and to me also it appears to be correct answer.
But I am a little skeptical over the use of the verb "has" here. I believe the subject here is "Intermarriage of ethnic groups" which is singular, so by rule I was first expecting to have a "has" in the answer but when comparing to a sentence like "she might have" and "she might has", obviously the former sounds better. Also, in absence of might "she has" is correct and not "she have". Probably I am missing out on some concept. Can anyone help me analyse this?
Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by ceilidh.erickson » Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:10 am
You are correct in your analysis of "might have" vs "might has," and the same principle holds true here. You have correctly identified the subject: intermarriage. The verb isn't simply "have," though; it's "may have."

"May" and "might" fall under the category of modal verbs. It's not something that the GMAT tests explicitly very often, but it's worth understanding. Here are some other examples:
- he could go...
- she will be...
- I would like...
- they should leave...
etc.

Notice in each of these examples that the modal is the one that agrees with the subject. Thus, in this example we want to say "intermarriage... may indeed have..." rather than "intermarriage... may indeed has"

More on modals here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_verb
Last edited by ceilidh.erickson on Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

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by apurva.jalit » Thu Sep 12, 2013 12:14 pm
Thanks ceilidh.erickson, this is something I didn't know. I'll remember this for sure in future n not let the confusion grab me again :)

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by Java_85 » Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:28 am
apurva.jalit,
I had the same problem with the use of "has" here, thanks for the question.

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