Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
Look! They _____ in our direction.
a) come
b) came
c) will come
d) was coming
e) are coming

Answer 1

Hint: The context of the sentence tells us that the subjects are currently on their way as the first word is ‘look’. This means that the blank needs to be filled by a word that makes sense in the context of this.

Complete answer:
Let us deconstruct the given sentence-
The blank follows a noun. This usually means that there should be a verb in the given blank. Now, we have to figure out which tense it will be in. For this, we have to understand the exact context of the given sentence.
The given sentence starts with the word ‘Look’. This is a warning given in real-time, which means that this is currently happening. This means that the action is ongoing, i.e. it has not ended. This means that the tense required is Present Continuous Tense. The present continuous tense is formed with the subject plus the present particle form (-ing) of the main verb and the present continuous tense of the verb to be: am, is, are.
Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options-
a) come - The word ‘come’ is in the simple present tense. This is not the required tense. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) came - The word ‘came’ is in the simple past tense. This is also not the required tense. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) will come - The phrase ‘will come’ is in the simple future tense. This is also not the required tense. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) was coming - The phrase ‘was coming’ is in the past continuous tense. This is also not the required tense. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
e) are coming - The phrase ‘are coming’ is in the present continuous tense and matches the given subject. This is the required tense. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.

Note:
Try to understand the exact meaning and context of the given sentence. This will help you to narrow down the given options. Go through the options one by one and try to find the option that fits perfectly. Choose the correct option accordingly.