Understanding Verb Tenses for Sentence Completion
This question requires us to correctly choose the verb tenses to fill in the blanks in the sentence: "She __________ (is) tired because she __________ (clean) the house yesterday." The sentence describes a past state of being (tired) caused by a past action (cleaning). We need to select the appropriate past tense forms.
Choosing the Correct Verb for State of Being
The first blank relates to the verb "is" (present tense), describing the state of the subject "She". Since the reason for her tiredness is linked to an event that happened "yesterday", the state of being tired must also be in the past. The past tense of "is" is "was". Therefore, the first blank should be filled with "was".
Sentence so far: She was tired...
Selecting the Verb Tense for the Action
The second blank relates to the verb "clean". The sentence structure "She was tired *because* she ______ the house yesterday" indicates that the action of cleaning the house is the reason for her past tiredness. The word "yesterday" clearly places this action in the past.
We need a tense that shows an action completed in the past that led to a result in the past. The past perfect continuous tense ("had been cleaning") is suitable here because it emphasizes the duration or the continuous nature of the cleaning activity that resulted in her being tired.
- Past Perfect Continuous (had been + verb-ing) highlights an action that continued for some time in the past before another past action or time.
- In this case, the cleaning action likely continued for a period yesterday, leading to her tiredness yesterday.
Combining these, the past perfect continuous tense "had been cleaning" fits the context best.
Analyzing the Options
Let's look at the given options:
| Option | First Blank (is) | Second Blank (clean) |
| 1. | is | had been cleaning |
| 2. | was | have been cleaning |
| 3. | was | had been cleaning |
| 4. | is | has been cleaning |
- Option 1 is incorrect because "is" is present tense.
- Option 2 is incorrect because "have been cleaning" is present perfect continuous, not suitable for a purely past event described with "yesterday".
- Option 3 correctly uses "was" for the past state and "had been cleaning" for the past action that caused the state.
- Option 4 is incorrect because "is" is present tense and "has been cleaning" is present perfect continuous.
Final Sentence Construction
Putting the correct verbs into the blanks, the completed sentence is:
She was tired because she had been cleaning the house yesterday.
Important Questions from Fill in the Blanks
Directions: Fill in the blanks with the word that best completes the sentence.
At times he gets very angry, and then no one can_______ him.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly.
Many people today have fallen into utter confusion of values with the result that they cannot______ the good from the bad.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly
If Mohan________ at 5 a.m., he would not have missed the train.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly.
His property was divided ______ his daughters and sons.
Each of the following sentences has a blank space and four words are given below it. Select the word or group of words you consider most appropriate for the blank space and indicate your response accordingly
His persistence in his misdemeanours has lowered him in the________ of everyone who knows him.
