I suspect that the present in "that nobody walks off" is intended to match
the present in "as they leave."
 
I also think it's OK to do it the way the ESL student wants it. In other
words, I think we DO say "that nobody will walk off with any silver." Had
someone said that in ordinary conversation between two native speakers, you
probably would not have noticed it.
 
PS: Aren't we supposed to say, these days, that there is no future tense in
English?
 
 
>How does one explain the use of the present rather than the future tense
>in the subrdinate clause of the following:
>
>"I will search the guests as they leave to make sure that nobody walks off
>with any silver."
>
>An ESL student demands a clear explanation as to why we don't say ". . .
>that nobody will walk off with any silver."
 
 
William J. McCleary                     Editor: Composition Chronicle
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