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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Complete the sentence below with the correct tense and aspect form of the verb to show an action completed before another past event.

Answer:By the time the board of directors assembled for the emergency meeting, the managing director 【had submitted】 his resignation letter.

Answer

had submitted
The correct verb form 'had submitted' uses the past perfect tense to clearly indicate that the act of submitting the resignation occurred and was completed prior to the past time when the board assembled.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the time markers and sequence of past events in the sentence.
The sentence contains two events occurring in the past: the assembling of the board ('assembled') and the submission of the resignation letter.
The clause introduced by 'By the time' establishes a past reference point.
2
Determine the appropriate aspect for an action completed prior to another past action.
The action of submitting the letter was completed before the board assembled, requiring the past perfect tense ('had + past participle').
The past perfect tense is used to denote an action that took place prior to a specific point of time in the past.

Key Concept

Past Perfect Tense for Pre-existing Past Actions
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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