Question

Complete the sentence with the most suitable option:
It was too late when he wished he _____ a better husband.

Answer 1

Hint: The past perfect denotes the time earlier than the present. It is generally used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned first - the tense makes it clear which one happened first.

Complete answer:
In the above sentence, the action performed by the subject (the husband) is in the past. The action of wishing is in the past and it is implied by the consequences in the present. So, the tense used in the sentence should be ‘past perfect’. Out of all the options given in the above questions, Option B is the only option with past perfect tense. Therefore, the correct answer is option B.
Options usage-
"Has been" and "have been" are both in the present perfect tense. "Has been" is used in the third-person singular.
'had been' is used with the past perfect and past perfect progressive.
was/were as the past tense form of the auxiliary verbs am, is, and are.
Would is the past tense of the auxiliary verb will, which has a primary use as a marker of future time.

Note:

Had/has/have been is usually used for something that was done in the past and still applies (multiple events). Was/were usually applies to something done in the past that no longer applies (single event).