Use of Subjunctive. Verb Conjugation.
Is the following sentence grammatically correct, in the use of 'guide' ?
The next high tide would rip them from the shore and set them loose, to drift wherever God's mercy guide.
Thank you for any advice. Cormac
Cormac
New member
1 answer 
The subject of 'guide' is 'mercy', which is singular. 'Guides' would be the proper word, but I would put 'them' after it. The comma after 'loose' isn't necessary, but it places a nice pause in the sentence.
The next high tide would rip them from the shore and set them loose, to drift wherever God's mercy guides them.
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answered Nov 26 '12 at 15:10
Lewis Neidhardt
Expert
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Dear Lewis, thanks for your answer. I am less sure than you seem to be, however, about the appropriate tense. Take the following variation on the sentence in question: "The next high tide would rip them from the shore and set them loose, to drift where they knew not." If I were to follow your suggestion and use the present indicative, this would be rendered as "... to drift where they didn't know.", which is patently wrong. Any thoughts?
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