Question

Fill in the blank with the most suitable option:
I phoned yesterday, but I _____ get an answer. Where were you?
A) Can
B) Could
C) Could’ve
D) Couldn’t

Answer 1

Hint: The options given in the question are modal verbs. These words are used to express ability, possibility, permission, obligation etc. A modal verb should always be followed by the base verb without ‘to’. To indicate negation, we use the word ‘not’ always after the modal verb and never before it.

Complete answer:
The sentence given in the question has the subject ‘I’, the verb ‘get’ and the object ‘answer’. The blank is provided just before the verb; thus the blank can be filled with an adverb, helping verb or modal verb.

The options given to us are all modal verbs, so let us choose from them.
Option A) Can – ‘Can’ is a modal verb used to indicate the capability or the possibility of something happening. For example, I can read French very well. Using this word in the blank would make a sentence that does not make sense. Thus, this option is incorrect.

Option B) Could – ‘Could’ is used as the past tense of ‘can’ when we are talking about capabilities. For e.g. I could barely see through the muddy water in the pond. It is also used to indicate possibility in any tense. It can be used in a sentence similar to the one in the question. But it will not be used here because the second sentence would make sense only if the first sentence has a negative tone. Thus, this option is wrong.

Option C) Could’ve – This is the abbreviated form of ‘could have’. It is used when the sentence is in the perfect tense. It could be used to fill this blank if the verb following it ‘get’ was in its participle form i.e. ‘gotten’. Therefore, this option is wrong.

Option D) Couldn’t – This option is the abbreviated form of ‘could not’. It has the same function as ‘could’, except it gives the sentence a negative tone. The sentence in the question requires this negative tone to be correct. Therefore, this option is correct.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (D) I phoned yesterday, but I couldn’t get an answer.

Note: We can use the words ‘can’ and ‘could’ to indicate permission and abilities in the present and the past tense respectively. For e.g. He can dance. (present) He could dance. (past). In the interrogative sentences, these same words can be used to ask for permission or request something. For e.g. Can you switch on the light? (informal) Could you switch on the light? (formal, polite).