Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word-
You are lucky you have not got a child ________.
a) To look after
b) Should look after
c) Looking after
d) Having looked after
e) Is looking after

Answer 1

Hint: Read the given sentence carefully. Make out its meaning, subject, predicate, and object of the sentence. Try to make out its core meaning of the sentence as well.

Complete answer:
 In the given question, we have to fill in the blank with the correct option from among the five given options. The main words are ‘look after', we have to add a suitable word before it to complete the sentence.
Now, let us examine all the given options to find out the correct option-
Option ‘a’ is To look after. It is the correct option as we can use ‘to’ after ‘child’, without making it a grammatically incorrect sentence. To is a preposition that is used for expressing motion in the direction.
Option ‘b’ is Should look after. It is an incorrect option as ‘should’ cannot be used after ‘child’, here. It is used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when criticizing someone’s actions.
Option ‘c' is Looking after. It cannot be the correct option as it is in the present continuous form, which doesn’t align with the tense form if the given sentence.
Option ‘d’ is Having looked after. It is also an incorrect option as its tense form is incorrect, and not suitable for the given blank.
Option ‘e’ is Is looking after. It is in the present tense, which is not required. So, we will eliminate this option as well.
Hence, option ‘a’ is the correct option. The complete sentence would be – You are lucky you have not got a child to look after.

Note:
tense is a category that expresses time reference. Tenses are usually manifested by the use of specific forms of verbs, particularly in their conjugation patterns. The main tenses found in many languages include the past, present, and future