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Question

Difficulty: EasyVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

By the time the chief executive officer arrived at the venue, the organizers _____ all the conference materials. Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence?

  1. had distributedAnswer
  2. B
    have distributed
  3. C
    are distributing
  4. D
    will distribute

Answer

The past perfect form 'had distributed' correctly establishes that the distribution was completed before the chief executive officer arrived.
The verb form 'had distributed' uses the past perfect tense to properly indicate that the action of distributing materials was completed prior to the chief executive officer's arrival in the past.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main time frame established in the sentence clause.
The clause 'arrived at the venue' specifies a completed event in the simple past tense.
Establishing the temporal reference point is essential for determining correct sequence of tenses.
2
Determine the relationship between the two past actions.
The action in the blank occurred before the simple past action ('arrived').
When one past action occurs before another past action, the earlier action must be expressed in the past perfect tense (had + past participle).

Key Concept

Past Perfect Tense Sequence
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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