Question

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word :
Have you been doing anything interesting __________?
A. Late
B. Lately
C. Later
D. Latest

Answer 1

Hint: Late is both an adverb and an adjective; it means the opposite of early. Lately is also an adverb; it means ‘recently’. Later is used when something would happen not now but after a while. Latest is used to mean most recent or to indicate that something needs to be done before a certain period of time.

Complete answer:
Option A: Late means near the end of a day, week, year, or another period of time. Late is also an adjective. For example, the talks eventually broke down in late spring, or he was in his late 20s. Thus, option (a) is an incorrect option.
 Option B: We use lately for states or for repeated events, mostly with the present perfect for example she says she’s been feeling tired lately. I think she’s working too much. Another example: He’s been studying hard lately. He’s got exams at the end of the month. So, that’s how the word lately is used, and thus, in the given question option (b) lately is the correct option.
Option C: Later is used when something would happen not now but after a while. For example, Veronica has a meeting at 4 pm. She will reach the party later. In this example, Veronica would not reach the party now but only after her meeting at 4 pm. So, that’s how we use words later. Thus, option (c ) is an incorrect option.
Option D: Latest is used to mean most recent or to indicate that something needs to be done before a certain period of time. For example, the Manager asked Betty to submit the file’s latest by 5 pm. Here, In this example, the manager wants the files by 5 pm, not after that. So, that’s how the word latest is used. Hence, option (d) is an incorrect option.

Note:
‘Later’ and ‘Latest’ are the comparative and superlative forms of the word late respectively. Whereas, the word lately is used for states or for repeated events, mostly with the present perfect.