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Question

Difficulty: EasyVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Which of the following options correctly completes the sentence below?

"The choir ________ for two hours before the director finally arrived for the rehearsal."

  1. had been practicingAnswer
  2. B
    has been practicing
  3. C
    were practicing
  4. D
    are practicing

Answer

had been practicing
The verb phrase 'had been practicing' correctly applies the past perfect continuous aspect to indicate an action that was ongoing for a duration of time before another past event occurred.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the time context and sequence of events in the sentence.
The reference action ('the director finally arrived') is in the simple past tense.
Establishing the anchor point in past time determines the appropriate verb tense and aspect.
2
Determine the relationship between the duration of the choir's action and the director's arrival.
The choir started practicing earlier and continued for a duration of two hours prior to the director's arrival.
An ongoing activity extending up to a point of time in the past requires the past perfect continuous aspect (had + been + -ing verb).

Key Concept

Past Perfect Continuous Aspect
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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