tense question

[curious]

Which do you think is correct, a or b?

An acorn, left to itself becomes an oak, and a geneticist ____ its DNA to make it grow into an elm may justly be said ____ with its natural course.

A) altering / to have interfered
B) having altered / to interfere
C) to alter / having interfered
D) being altered / interfered
E) to have altered / to be interfering

[Tdol]

A or having altered/to have interfered

[helen7b]

hi~

[curious]

Originally Posted by tdol

A or having altered/to have interfered

why not b, tdol?

[Tdol]

Because if you use the first form to show completion, then it seems logical that the second should show it as well, since it is what has been affected.

[curious]

Is

F) alterering / to interfere

possible?

[Tdol]

Possible

[JaneP]

I would say the most likely possibility would be:

An acorn, left to itself becomes an oak, and a geneticist, having altered its DNAto make it grow into an elm may justly be said to have interfered with its natural course

[wuwilliam1972]

janep is perfectly right!