Question

Fill in the blank with a suitable option:
I had hoped _______ my letter.
a) that she answer
b) she answers
c) that she would answer
d) she will answer

Answer 1

Hint: There was a possibility of the person not answering their letter. The perfect tense to use in this case would be conditional. The answer should also begin with an adverb.

Complete answer:
 The conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. They are constructed as follows - ‘would + infinitive root’. So, this is the correct tense to be used in this case. This is the correct answer that is required.
In the given sentence, the verb is in the past tense. There is also a clause ending before the blank, so there should be a filler word, such as ‘that’.

Now, we know exactly what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options-
a) that she answer - This option begins with the word ‘that’. However, the latter part is grammatically wrong, and it is not in the conditional tense. It does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) she answers - This option does not begin with the word ‘that’. Moreover, the latter part is not in the conditional tense. It does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) that she would answer - This option begins with the word ‘that’. And, the latter part is grammatically correct, and it is in the conditional tense. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
d) she will answer - This option does not begin with the word ‘that’. Moreover, the latter part is not in the conditional tense. It does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Understand the meaning of the given sentence, and then go through the given options. Make sure it is grammatically correct. Then, choose the correct option.