The accused forgot … — choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences

Analyze the question The sentence stem is "The accused forgot ............" and we must pick the option that completes it best. The stem is incomplete, so we have to judge which option is most natural and grammatically sound.

Concept The verb forget can be followed by a noun clause. The type of clause depends on the conjunction or pronoun that introduces it:

• what introduces a noun clause that serves as the object of the verb. It stands for "the thing(s)" that were said.
• that introduces a statement of fact. It is possible after forget, but "forgot that the police said..." sounds odd, because you do not normally forget the fact that someone spoke. You forget the content of what was said.
• when and why need the sentence to supply a time or a reason. Without extra context, "forgot when the police said" and "forgot why the police said" are incomplete or awkward in meaning.

Step-by-step solution

1. The accused is someone being questioned or cautioned by the police, so what he would naturally forget is the content of the police's words, such as the warning or instructions.
2. "What the police said" is a noun clause acting as the object of forgot: "The accused forgot [what the police said]."
3. Test the others: • B: "forgot that the police said" is unnatural, since that does not fit here as the object of the saying. • C: "forgot when the police said" does not make sense without a following element, such as "when the police said he should report." • D: "forgot why the police said" is also unnatural without a following element.

Answer The best completion is A. what the police said.

Tip When a verb of knowing or remembering (forget, remember, know) is followed by a clause about something said, what usually fits best because it refers to the content. Test each option by reading the full sentence aloud. The one that sounds complete and natural is usually correct.