In the historical novel The Surrender Tree, Cuban American author Margarita Engle uses poetry rather than prose ______ the
true story of Cuban folk hero Rosa La Bayamesa.
tells
told
is telling
to tell
Choice D is the best answer. The convention being tested is the use of ﬁnite and nonﬁnite verb forms within a sentence. The
nonﬁnite to-inﬁnitive “to tell” is correctly used to form a nonﬁnite (inﬁnitive) clause that explains the reason Engle uses
poetry in her novel.
Choice A is incorrect because the ﬁnite present tense verb “tells” can’t be used in this way to explain the reason that Engle
uses poetry in her novel. Choice B is incorrect because the ﬁnite past tense verb “told” can’t be used in this way to explain
the reason that Engle uses poetry in her novel. Choice C is incorrect because the ﬁnite present progressive tense verb “is
telling” can’t be used in this way to explain the reason that Engle uses poetry in her novel.