Question

Fill in the blank with the most suitable option
I stopped watching the game before the end, but I thought we _______.
a) Had won
b) Have won
c) Have been winning
d) Will have won

Answer 1

Hint: The given question pertains to the usage of proper tense. We use “had” when there is the occurrence of a second event after the main event. “Have” is used when the thing has happened. “Have been” is used when something has been happening and the future course of that event is uncertain. “Will have” is used when you are talking about a completed action in the future.

Complete answer:
The correct answer is option a because “had won” shows that the person had thought they won the game but actually some other event happened. He thought they won the match which is why he stopped watching the game but actually there was a second event which happened- they did not win the match.
Option b is wrong because it is present perfect tense. They actually did not win the game. “Have won” does not signify the occurrence of a second event.
Option c is wrong because using a present perfect continuous tense is not the correct tense to be used in the sentence.
Option d is completely wrong because it is the future perfect tense. It talks about a completed action in the future. The person stopped watching the game because he thought they had already won and not because he thought that they would be winning.

Note:
The perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, etc.) are a tricky bit of the English language and can be aced by practicing them. In the given question, the mode of the sentence has to be understood properly. If a student cannot comprehend the meaning of the sentence, that is, he or she cannot spot that the sentence has an underlying second event to it, the answer selected will be wrong.