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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Complete the sentence below by supplying the grammatically correct form of the verb to show the proper sequence of past actions.

Answer:Long before the commission published its final report, the treasury officials 【had audited】 all suspicious transactions.

Answer

had audited (or another correct past perfect form like had investigated / had flagged / had frozen)
The time expression 'Long before' introduces a past reference point ('published'). An action that preceded this reference point must be expressed using the past perfect tense ('had audited') to convey completion prior to that past event.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the temporal markers and sequence of events in the sentence.
The phrase 'Long before' indicates that the action of auditing/flagging transactions occurred and was completed prior to another past event ('published').
In English grammar, an action completed prior to a designated point in the past requires the past perfect aspect (had + past participle).
2
Formulate the correct verb structure.
Combine the auxiliary verb 'had' with the past participle of the main verb (e.g., 'audited').
This maintains appropriate sequence of tenses between the subclause and the main clause.

Key Concept

Past Perfect Aspect in Time Clauses
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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