Question

Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets to complete the sentence correctly:
He jumped off the train while it ________.(Run)
A) Was running
B) Had been running
C) Ran
D) Running

Answer 1

Hint: “he jumped off” is one event and “train moving” is another event. When there are two events in one sentence, decide which one is the ongoing or longer event and which one is a shorter or interrupting event.
Here, the “he jumped off” is a shorter or interrupting event and train moving is an ongoing event.

Complete step by step answer:
To choose the correct form of the verb in brackets analyzes each option first.

A) Was running: it is in past continuous tense, which states that the train was running when he jumped off but was still running after that.
B) Had been running: it is in the past perfect tense, which states that the train had been running when he jumped off but now the train has stopped.
C) Ran: it is in the simple past tense, which states that the train ran when jumped off.
D) Running: it is in present continuous tense, which states that the train is running and he jumped off but here, “he jumped off” is in the simple past tense.

Hence, we conclude that option A is the correct form of the verb in brackets to complete the given sentence correctly.

Note:
when the shorter event is in the simple past tense, we use past continuous tense to describe the ongoing event that the train was running.