Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
She didn’t finish __________ coffee.
A) Have
B) Having
C) To have
D) Had

Answer 1

Hint: A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Complete step by step answer:
Option A) Have – is an incorrect answer because the meaning of ‘have’ is the verb in its base form and is grammatically incorrect here. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.
Option B) Having – is the correct answer because ‘having’ is used with past participles. And here in this having is the most appropriate answer because having is gerund as it is formed by adding ‘ing’ to the verb i.e. Have + ing = Having. Thus, this is the correct answer.
Option C) To have – is an incorrect answer because ‘to have’ is the infinitive form of the verb, but here we are looking for the subject. So, the gerund form of the verb will be used. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.
Option D) Had – is an incorrect answer because it is the past tense of the verb "have" and does not agree with the tense of the sentence. Thus, this is an incorrect answer.

So, the correct answer is “Option A”.

Note:
The context refers to an action that is the subject of the sentence. What is it that she didn't finish doing? In such a case a gerund is used. A gerund is a noun formed from a verb by verb + ing form. The option B is a gerund as it has added -ing to the verb have. Have + ing = having, which is the subject of the sentence and Option A is grammatically incorrect.