Choose the word or phrase which best completes the sentence:
There ____ to be serious flaws in the design.
(a)claimed
(b)reported
(c)were said
(d)were told

Hint: A verb is a content word that denotes an action, occurrence, or state of existence. It is the word class that serves as the predicate of a sentence.
Complete answer: In the given question, we have to find out which of the options include an auxiliary verb and is grammatically correct.
Let us thus analyze the options given to us in this question:
(a)'claimed', refers to ‘an assertion that something is true or factual’. Therefore, option (a) is incorrect as it does not include an auxiliary verb.
(b)‘reported', refers to ‘made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account’. Therefore, option (b) is incorrect as it does not include an auxiliary verb.
(c)‘were said', refers to ‘report or maintain’. Therefore, option (c) is correct as the given sentence seems to be a reported sentence and the verb ‘said’ is perfect for it.
(d)‘were told', refers to ‘narrate or give a detailed account of’. Therefore, option (d) is incorrect as there is no detailed account in the sentence.
Note: In this question, it will be helpful for the student to recall the concept of a phrase. A phrase is an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence.