CSEET · Business Communication · Essentials of Good English
Choose the option that correctly fills the blank: 'By the time the auditors arrived, the accountant ______ all the ledgers.'
The correct choice is 'had closed'. The closing of the ledgers happened before another past event, the auditors' arrival, so the past perfect tense is required. The present perfect or past continuous would not show that the work was completed earlier.
- Ahas closed
- Bhad closedCorrect
- Chave closed
- Dwas closing
Explanation
Two past events are described: the arrival of the auditors and the earlier closing of ledgers. The earlier action takes the past perfect, 'had closed'. 'Has closed' is the present perfect and does not fit a past time reference. 'Was closing' suggests the work was in progress, not completed before arrival.
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