Cybermusings wrote:2. Constance Horner, chief of the United States government’s personnel agency, has recommended that the use of any dangerous or illegal drug in the five years prior to application for a job be grounds for not hiring an applicant.
(A) the use of any dangerous or illegal drug in the five years prior to application for a job be grounds for not hiring an applicant
(B) any dangerous or illegal drug, if used in the five years prior to applying for a job, should be grounds not to hire the applicant
(C) an applicant’s use of any dangerous or illegal drug in the five years prior to application for a job be grounds not to hire them
(D) an applicant’s use of any dangerous or illegal drug in the five years prior to applying for a job are grounds that they not be hired
(E) for five years prior to applying for a job, an applicant’s use of any dangerous or illegal drug be grounds for not hiring them

jayhawk2001 wrote:
"that ... be" is the correct form. I'm going with A

B, C and D use "grounds" without "for"

E is just awkward