Question

Fill in the blanks using the verbs given in the correct forms. (You are stating a fact about yourself)
I _________ (play) the piano but I _______ (not/play) it very well.
a. Play; don’t play
b. Plays; does not play
c. Was playing; was not playing
d. Have played; have not played

Answer 1

Hint: Infinitive forms of the verb, that is, those in simple present form are used to represent a fact or an affirmative sentence about someone or something. For instance, “The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West”, “I perform martial arts at the school every year”.
Does is often used with third person singular, that is he, she or it, while do is used with first person, second person as well as third person plural forms of the nouns.

Complete solution:
The sentence is in third person plural form.
Now, looking at the options given above,
a. Play; don’t play: According to the hint given, these words best suit the sentence since the statement is a fact of oneself, the infinitive form is used, while the negative form would be “do not play”.
b. Plays; does not play: the subject is in first person hence, this format is wrong.
c. Was playing; was not playing: The sentence does not refer to the past continuous form.
d. Have played; have not played: It is not just a thing of the past.

Hence, Option a, is the correct answer to the above question.

Note: Do not mull over Option a and Option d, since Option d may seem similar, but the action is part of a statement of truth or assertion.