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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Read the sentence below:

"By the time the international terminal inaugurates its new concourse next month, the technical crew ______ on the expansion project for exactly three years."

Which option provides the grammatically correct verb form to complete the sentence?

  1. will have been workingAnswer
  2. B
    had been working
  3. C
    will be working
  4. D
    have been working

Answer

The correct verb form is 'will have been working'.
The sentence specifies a future point of completion ('By the time... next month') together with a time span ('for exactly three years'). The future perfect continuous aspect ('will have been working') is required to express an action that began in the past and will continue up to a designated future time.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the temporal frame of the main sentence clause.
The phrase 'By the time... next month' establishes a specific future time boundary.
Identifying the time marker determines whether past, present, or future tense structures are required.
2
Examine the aspectual duration indicator in the sentence.
The prepositional phrase 'for exactly three years' signifies an ongoing duration culminating at that future benchmark.
An action extending over time up to a future reference point requires the future perfect continuous aspect.
3
Select the verb phrase that combines future time reference, perfect aspect, and continuous aspect.
'will have been working' satisfies all auxiliary requirement components (modal 'will' + auxiliary 'have' + past participle 'been' + present participle 'working').
This form accurately expresses continuous duration relative to a future deadline.

Key Concept

Future Perfect Continuous Tense and Aspect
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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