Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option given for the correct form of verb as per the given situation:
You are calling your friend, who is the special guest at your birthday party. He is running late.
Hurry up! Everybody _______ (wait) for you.
a. was waiting
b. has been waiting
c. is waiting
d. will be waiting

Answer 1

Hint: The given sentence already tells us the situation. Look for pointers suggesting which tense to use. The required modal auxiliary is not given in the question.

Complete answer:
 We can identify the kind of verb needed when we look at the subject of the sentence. In order to do that, we need to deconstruct the given sentence:
The first part of the sentence tells us that it takes place in a present continuous manner due to the phrase ‘are calling’. This means that the situation is taking place in real-time. So, we need the verb in the present continuous tense.
The present continuous (also called present progressive) is a verb tense that is used to show that an ongoing action is happening now, either at the moment of speech or now in a larger sense. The present continuous is formed using am/is/are + present participle. This is the most appropriate tense for the given sentence.

Now, we know what we are looking for, let’s look at the available options-
a. was waiting - This phrase is in the past continuous tense. It is not in the required tense so it does not fit into the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b. has been waiting - This phrase is in the present perfect continuous tense. It is not in the required tense so it does not fit into the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c. is waiting - This phrase is in the present continuous tense. It is the required tense so it fits into the sentence perfectly. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
d. will be waiting - This phrase is in the future continuous tense. It is not in the required tense so it does not fit into the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Make sure to be careful while choosing the verb. The number of the verb and the subject should match. This is all dependent on the subject of the sentence, so read the sentence carefully.