Question

I was sad when I sold my car. I ________ (have) it for a very long time.
(Fill in the blank with a suitable option.)
A) have had
B) had had
C) has had
D) is having

Answer 1

Hint: A participle that usually expresses completed action, is historically one of the principal parts of the verb and is basically used to form perfect tenses in the active voice and all tenses in the passive voice.

Complete answer:
The given sentence denotes a past action that was done before another action began. In the given sentence, one action (owning a car) finished before another began (I was sad when I sold my car.) As a result, the tense will be past perfect.
The following structure is used in this tense: had + participle of the past

Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) have had – in this option ‘have’ is the auxiliary verb and ‘had’ is the main verb; where the word ‘have’ indicates that the sentence is in the present perfect tense. The first sentence in the question is in the past tense, therefore, this sentence should also be in the past perfect tense. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Option B) had had – 'Had had' is the most appropriate choice among the choices. It is based on the structure had + past participle (had). 'Had had' is a double word that does not mean the same thing. The first 'had' is an auxiliary verb that suggests the sentence's tense. The main verb is the second 'had,' which has a different meaning: 'to possess’ and is also in the past tense. 'The sentence can be written as “I'd had it for a long time.” Hence, this is the correct option.
Option C) has had – ‘has had’, just like the above options indicates the sentence is in perfect tense. The auxiliary verb ‘has’ indicates the sentence is in the present perfect tense. The first sentence in the question is in the past tense, therefore, this sentence should also be in the past perfect tense. Therefore, this is the wrong option.
Option D) is having – this format of ‘is + -ing verb’ is used in the continuous tense. The ‘is’ indicates that it is the present continuous tense. Therefore, this option is incorrect as we need a verb in the past tense, to be consistent with the sentence in the first part of the question.

Thus, the correct answer is option (B) I had had it for a very long time.

Note: The past participle may serve many purposes. It can be used as a perfect tense, an adjective to characterize a verb or a passive voice. Its use is critical in writing. These are the two key ways to use the past participle as an adjective or to construct past verb forms.