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Question

Difficulty: Very hardVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Complete the sentence below by providing the most appropriate verb tense and aspect form for the blank.

Answer:Scarcely had the keynote speaker stepped off the podium when the panel moderator announced that the committee members 【had been deliberating】 on the draft resolutions since early morning.

Answer

had been deliberating
The verb form 'had been deliberating' accurately employs the past perfect continuous aspect. This is required because the deliberation began prior to the announcement ('since early morning') and was ongoing up to that past event in indirect reported speech governed by 'announced'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the main reporting verb and the temporal markers in the sentence.
The main clause verb 'announced' is in the simple past, while the time expression 'since early morning' denotes an action that started in the earlier past and continued up to the point of reporting.
Tense agreement rules require backshifting relative to past events, and duration starting before a past point requires perfect continuous aspect.
2
Determine the correct tense and aspect combination.
The past perfect continuous form ('had been deliberating') correctly signals an ongoing activity prior to and up to a past reference point.
Present tense forms cannot follow a past reporting verb when describing past events, and simple past cannot express continuous duration starting earlier.

Key Concept

Past Perfect Continuous Aspect in Reported Sequence of Tenses
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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