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Question

Difficulty: EasyVerbs, Tenses, and Aspect

During yesterday's briefing, the spokesperson announced that the director _______ the revised policy document earlier that morning. Which of the following verb forms correctly completes the sentence?

  1. had approvedAnswer
  2. B
    has approved
  3. C
    will approve
  4. D
    approves

Answer

The correct verb form is 'had approved'.
The verb form 'had approved' correctly employs the past perfect tense to signal an action completed prior to another past time marker ('announced') in indirect reporting.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the time sequence between the main clause and the subordinate clause.
The main reporting verb 'announced' is in the simple past tense, and the action of approving took place 'earlier that morning' before the announcement.
When an action is completed prior to another past event in reported speech, the past perfect tense is required.
2
Identify the past perfect verb form.
The past auxiliary 'had' combined with the past participle 'approved' yields 'had approved'.
This establishes proper tense backshift and clear aspectual order.

Key Concept

Tense Backshift and Past Perfect Aspect in Reported Speech
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Topics

Verbs, Tenses, and Aspect

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