
Choose the past perfect continuous tense form of the verb in the following sentence:
She _______ with Jed for over an hour before Tony appeared.
a)was chatting
b)had been chatting
c)have been chatting
d)has chatted
Answer
507k+ views
Hint: Past perfect continuous tense means there should be a have/had as well as an -ing word such as running, walking, etc.
Complete step-by-step answer:
The given sentence tells us that a girl was chatting with Jed before someone else called Tony appeared. So there are two events which are taking place here. One is that the girl was chatting with Jed and the other is that Tony appeared. So the first action was already complete before Tony appeared. Since a past perfect continuous tense is needed here, the correct answer is option b. She had been chatting with Jed for over an hour before Tony appeared.
Option a is wrong because it is in the past continuous tense. For example, Jim was playing cricket. There is only one event being talked about.
Option c is wrong because ‘have’ is used with plural nouns. For example, the boys have been playing for three hours. In the given sentence, only one girl is being talked about. So, it needs a singular verb after it.
Option d is incorrect because it is in the present perfect tense. For example, she has finished her work.
Note: It is to be noted that the phrase ‘has chatted’ should not be considered to be a past tense because of the ‘-ed’. The word in focus should be the usage of ‘has’ which is in the present tense.
Complete step-by-step answer:
The given sentence tells us that a girl was chatting with Jed before someone else called Tony appeared. So there are two events which are taking place here. One is that the girl was chatting with Jed and the other is that Tony appeared. So the first action was already complete before Tony appeared. Since a past perfect continuous tense is needed here, the correct answer is option b. She had been chatting with Jed for over an hour before Tony appeared.
Option a is wrong because it is in the past continuous tense. For example, Jim was playing cricket. There is only one event being talked about.
Option c is wrong because ‘have’ is used with plural nouns. For example, the boys have been playing for three hours. In the given sentence, only one girl is being talked about. So, it needs a singular verb after it.
Option d is incorrect because it is in the present perfect tense. For example, she has finished her work.
Note: It is to be noted that the phrase ‘has chatted’ should not be considered to be a past tense because of the ‘-ed’. The word in focus should be the usage of ‘has’ which is in the present tense.
Recently Updated Pages
Express the following as a fraction and simplify a class 7 maths CBSE

The length and width of a rectangle are in ratio of class 7 maths CBSE

The ratio of the income to the expenditure of a family class 7 maths CBSE

How do you write 025 million in scientific notatio class 7 maths CBSE

How do you convert 295 meters per second to kilometers class 7 maths CBSE

Write the following in Roman numerals 25819 class 7 maths CBSE

Trending doubts
A boat goes 24 km upstream and 28 km downstream in class 10 maths CBSE

The British separated Burma Myanmar from India in 1935 class 10 social science CBSE

The Equation xxx + 2 is Satisfied when x is Equal to Class 10 Maths

What are the public facilities provided by the government? Also explain each facility

Difference between mass and weight class 10 physics CBSE

SI unit of electrical energy is A Joule B Kilowatt class 10 physics CBSE
