Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
It's difficult to make both ends meet these days the taxes ______ so high.
a. with
b. are
c. being
d. to be

Answer 1

Hint: A verb is the word class that serves as the predicate of a sentence; it’s a content word that denotes an action, occurrence, or state of existence.
An auxiliary (helping) verb is a verb that combines with another verb in a verb phrase to help form tense, mood, voice, or condition of the verb it combines with.

Complete answer:
In the given question, we have to use a verb to fill in the blank as the noun ‘taxes’ needs a verb to accompany it. Since the speaker is referring to ‘these days’, it means that the taxes are high in the present. Therefore, no other tense except the present tense can be used, that too in present participle, since it represents present action (the act of the taxes which are high).
Let us thus analyze the options given to us in this question:
- Option (a.), 'with', refers to a preposition.
Therefore, option (a.) is incorrect as it is not the present participle form of a verb.
- Option (b.), ‘are', refers to a verb in simple present tense.
Therefore, option (b.) is incorrect as it is not the present participle form of a verb.
- Option (c.), ‘being', refers to the present participle form of the verb ‘be’.
Therefore, option (c.) is correct.
- Option (d.), ‘to be', refers to a preposition followed by a verb ‘be’ which is in simple present tense.

> Therefore, option (d.) is incorrect as it is not the present participle form of a verb.

Note: In this question, keep in mind that there are no conjunctions used in the sentence, which is why it is essential that the noun ‘taxes’ is succeeded by a verb.