Question

Put the verb into the correct form:
Ken got to the station in time to catch his train. If _____ (he/miss) it, _____ (he/be) late for his interview.
(a)he missed; he had been
(b)he had missed; he would have been
(c)he misses; he will be
(d)he will miss; he will be

Answer 1

Hint: The first sentence already tells us the one tense used. Look for pointers suggesting which tense to use. The actions are completed in the given sentence, they are mentioning an alternate circumstance. These pointers are indicators of certain tenses.

Complete answer: The given blank is in a specific place, and the given
sentences have the context to them. Let us look for pointers suggesting which tense to use.
The actions are ongoing and presumably happened in the given sentence. These pointers
are indicators of certain tenses.
The conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. They are constructed as follows - ‘would + infinitive root’. So, this is the correct tense to be used in this case. This is the correct answer that is required.

In the given sentence, the narrator is telling us the fact that is in the conditional form. It is
in the past tense, i.e. if it had been so.
Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options:
(a)he missed; he had been - This option is not in the past perfect tense and present perfect tense with ‘would’. It does not fit perfectly into the context of the given sentence. It is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(b)he had missed; he would have been - This option is in the past perfect tense and present perfect tense with ‘would’. It fits perfectly into the context of the given sentence. It is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
(c)he misses; he will be - This option is not in the past perfect tense and present perfect tense with ‘would’. It does not fit perfectly into the context of the given sentence. It is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(d)he will miss; he will be - This option is not in the past perfect tense and present perfect tense with ‘would’. It does not fit perfectly into the context of the given sentence. It is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: Read the given sentence carefully, and try to understand the meaning of the sentence. Then, read the given options. Then, choose the option that you think sounds the
most correct and fits perfectly into the given blank.