U.S. Customs and Border Protection said this week that arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border **fall in** September for the fourth month in the row.

Identify the correct replacement for the highlighted phrase.

Question

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said this week that arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border **fall in** September for the fourth month in the row.

Identify the correct replacement for the highlighted phrase.

Accepted Answer

**Solution:**

1. The sentence is reported speech (indirect speech) because it reports what U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

2. In indirect speech, the tense of the verb usually shifts back one step in time. The original phrase "fall in" is present tense.

3. Therefore, the verb should be changed to the past tense "fell" to maintain correct tense agreement.

4. Among the options, "border fell in" correctly replaces the phrase.

**Answer:** Option (a) "border fell in"

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