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Question

Difficulty: MediumVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

Read the sentence below carefully:

'The chief maritime officer reported that by the time the rescue vessel arrived, the disabled tanker _______ adrift for over twelve hours.'

Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence?

  1. A
    has been drifting
  2. had been driftingAnswer
  3. C
    was drifting
  4. D
    is drifting

Answer

had been drifting
The verb form 'had been drifting' correctly combines the past perfect tense with the continuous aspect. It accurately expresses an ongoing action that began before and continued up to a specific past moment ('by the time the rescue vessel arrived') within a reported statement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the main clause and reporting context
The reporting verb 'reported' is in the simple past tense, requiring past-tense sequence alignment in the subordinate clause.
Indirect speech following a past-tense matrix verb requires backshifting of tenses.
2
Examine the temporal adverbial and time frame
The phrase 'by the time the rescue vessel arrived' establishes a specific past time boundary, while 'for over twelve hours' indicates continuous duration starting prior to that boundary.
An action that begins before a past reference point and continues up to it requires a perfect aspect (past perfect or past perfect continuous).
3
Select the correct tense and aspectual verb form
The past perfect continuous form 'had been drifting' satisfies both past sequence backshifting and duration prior to a past point.
'Had been drifting' properly combines past perfect tense with continuous aspect.

Key Concept

Past Perfect Continuous Aspect in Reported Past Time Frames
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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