Help the HR manager complete her humorous notes on the annual office bake-off. Choose the correct auxiliary verbs to complete the sentences, using ellipsis to avoid repeating the main verbs.
Sarah claimed she would bake a three-tier masterpiece, but she ultimately didn't.
Michael's pie was completely devoured by the marketing team, and David's cookies were too.
The judges could have awarded a tie, and frankly they should have, given how close the final scores were.
Sarah claimed she would bake a three-tier masterpiece, but she ultimately didn't.
Didn't correctly stands in for the elided verb phrase "bake a three-tier masterpiece." We use the past simple auxiliary because the action refers to a completed reality in the past, contrasting with her past claim ("would bake").
Michael's pie was completely devoured by the marketing team, and David's cookies were too.
When the first clause is in the passive voice ("was devoured"), the coordinated clause must also use the "to be" auxiliary. Since "cookies" is plural, we use were.
The judges could have awarded a tie, and frankly they should have, given how close the final scores were.
To elide a past modal phrase ("awarded a tie"), we must retain the modal and the perfect auxiliary "have." "Should" alone would incorrectly imply a present or future obligation, and "ought" requires the particle "to" (ought to have).