Question

Choose the correct alternative of the verb given in brackets.
When I reached the theatre, the play _____ (start).
A) Had started
B) Starts
C) Will start
D) To be started

Answer 1

Hint: The question is based on the topic of tenses. We often use certain words to denote the time of occurrence of an event. Tenses are verbs that signify these times of occurrences. In the given question we are talking about an event in the past and another event that occurred before it.

Complete answer:
The sentence given has two clauses, in which the first is in the simple past tense. The second clause has a blank. Since the first clause was in the past tense, the second should also be in the past tense. It can either be simple, perfect or continuous. Let us analyze the options.
Option A) Had started – The clause 'When I arrived at the theatre' is in the simple past tense in the given sentence. The second clause should be in the past perfect tense, with the word 'had' + the verb's past participle form (started). Therefore, this is the correct option.
Option B) Starts – In this option, the word ‘starts’ has been used which is in the simple present tense. As a result, it cannot be used in the given clause since the statement is about the past. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Option C) Will start – The verb ‘start’ is preceded by an auxiliary verb ‘will’. Whenever the word ‘will’ is used before the main verb it indicates that the sentence is in the future tense. As a result, it cannot be used to fill the blank since the sentence is in the past tense. Thus, this option is incorrect.
Option D) To be started – A passive infinitive is a term that means "to begin." It's used to show what's probable and what's right. Since the action in the given sentence is in the past perfect tense, it cannot be used in the given void.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (A) When I reached the theatre, the play had started.

Note: The tense that we used to fill the blank was a Perfect Tense. The perfect tense is an extension of the past, present and future tense. The helping verbs ‘have’, ‘has’ and ‘had’ depending on the pronoun indicate that the sentence is in perfect tense. For e.g.
- The movie had started. (Past perfect tense)
- It has started raining here. (Present perfect tense)
- It will have started by the time we reach there. (Future perfect tense; we use the ‘will’ before ‘have’.