Question

Fill in the blank with a suitable verb form-
A: Why didn’t you come to the concert last night?
B: Because I _____ visit a friend in the hospital.
a- Had to
b- Might
c- Have to
d- Must

Answer 1

Hint: Verbs are those words that are used to indicate the action performed by the subject. Infinitives are a form of verbs that function with the help of ‘to’.

Complete answer:
As given in the hint, infinitives are formed by joining ‘to’ with the base form of a verb.
In the given question: We can conclude that X asked Y why he wasn’t able to attend the concert last night. Y replied that he had to visit a friend in the hospital.
Here, we have used ‘had to’ because it emphasizes the main verb, ‘visit’. Now, let’s decipher the meaning of the given options-
Option a- ‘had to’ is the correct option because it helps in modifying the verb, ‘visit’. Also, it indicates that the action took place in the past.
Option b- ‘might’ is an incorrect option because it is a modal verb that indicates the possibility of something. ‘Might’ is the past tense of the modal verb, ‘may’.
Option c- ‘have to’ is an incorrect option because ‘have’ suggests that the action took place in the present. But X visited his friend in the past.
Option d- ‘must’ is an incorrect option because it indicates that someone is required or compelled to do something. The correct answer is Option ‘a’.

Note:
Keep in mind, infinitives always accompany the main verb, because they help in modifying the main verb by making it more definite and ardent.