Microsurgery demands exceptional precision and control. A robotic surgical system developed at Johns Hopkins University _____ surgeons to perform deli...

Let's begin by understanding the meaning of this sentence. We'll use our understanding of pause points and segment the sentence as shown - understanding and assimilating the meaning of each segment bit by bit!

Sentence Structure

• Microsurgery demands exceptional precision and control.
• A robotic surgical system
  • developed at Johns Hopkins University
  [enables/?] surgeons
  • to perform delicate procedures
    • with enhanced accuracy.
• The device's mechanical arms can filter out
  • the slight tremors
    • present in human hands.

Understanding the Meaning

The passage starts by telling us:

• Microsurgery demands exceptional precision and control.
  • This sets up the context - we're in a field where accuracy is critical.

Now the second sentence introduces:

• A robotic surgical system
  • This is our subject - a singular system
  • developed at Johns Hopkins University
    • This phrase describes which system we're talking about

Now here's where we need to fill in the blank:

• A robotic surgical system _____ surgeons to perform delicate procedures with enhanced accuracy.

Let's look at our choices:

• We're deciding between different forms of the verb "enable"
• enable / has enabled / enables / is enabling

What do we need here? Let's think about our subject:

• The subject is "A robotic surgical system" - that's singular
  • "developed at Johns Hopkins University" is just describing the system
  • The actual subject doing the action is "A robotic surgical system"
• So we need a verb form that agrees with a singular subject
  • This eliminates "enable" which is the plural form

Now, what about tense? Let's read the rest to see the complete picture:

• The sentence continues: "surgeons to perform delicate procedures with enhanced accuracy"
• The next sentence tells us: "The device's mechanical arms can filter out the slight tremors present in human hands"

What do we notice about the structure here?

• The passage is describing what this system does - its general capability
  • "Microsurgery demands" (present tense, general truth)
  • "mechanical arms can filter out" (present tense capability)
• This is a statement about what the system does generally, not:
  • Something that happened in the past and continues (that would be present perfect)
  • Something happening right at this moment (that would be present progressive)

So we need: enables - singular present tense to match our singular subject and describe a general capability.

GRAMMAR CONCEPT APPLIED

Matching Verbs with Their Subjects: Number and Tense

When choosing the correct verb form, you need to consider two things:

1. Number Agreement - Does the verb match the subject?

• Singular subjects need singular verbs
• Plural subjects need plural verbs
• Be careful when modifying phrases come between the subject and verb

Example:

• "The system enables..." (singular subject → singular verb)
• "The systems enable..." (plural subject → plural verb)
• "The system developed at the university enables..." (the phrase "developed at the university" describes the system but doesn't change that it's singular)

2. Appropriate Tense - Does the tense fit the meaning?

• Use simple present tense for general truths, regular actions, or capabilities
• Use present perfect for past actions with present relevance
• Use present progressive for actions happening right now

In this question:

• Subject: "A robotic surgical system" (singular) → need singular verb
• Context: Describing what the system generally does (a capability) → need simple present tense
• Answer: "enables" ✓