Question

Fill in the blank with the appropriate tense form:
Speak softly lest you ________ be heard by others.

• A. should not
• B. will not
• C. should
• D. None of the above

Answer 1

The correct option is C should

Tense is used to provide more information about an action ( its time, completeness, etc.). Option C)should is correct as the principal cause uses the simple present tense and therefore, the subordinate clause can use simple past, present perfect, simple present or simple future tense. As the sentence talks about a supposition with a condition(lest), 'should' must be used (because it indicates probability). The other options are wrong as the subordinate clause cannot be negative in the given sentence (lest). The correct answer is C)should.