Question

Congress has enacted legislation forbidding state and local governments from raising taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet for the next three years.

• A. forbidding state and local governments from raising taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet for the next three years
• B. that forbids state and local governments for the next three years from raising taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet
• C. that for the next three years forbids state and local governments to raise taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet
• D. forbidding for the next three years to state and local governments the raising of taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet

Answer 1

The correct option is C

that for the next three years forbids state and local governments to raise taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet

The original sentence contains several errors. First, the preferred idiom is "forbid X to do Y" and not "forbid X from doing Y." Second, the adverbial modifier "for the next three years" is intended to modify "forbids," but its placement next to "links" makes it modify "links."

(A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.
(B) This choice incorrectly uses "forbid X from doing Y" instead of the idiomatic "forbid X to do Y."
(C) CORRECT. This choice correctly uses the idiom "forbids X to do Y." Additionally "for the next three years" is correctly placed next to the verb it modifies, "forbids
(D) This choice creates an awkward sentence by using "forbidding to X Y" (where Y is the awkward noun phrase "the raising of taxes") instead of the idiomatic "forbid X to do Y."