Sentence improvement (past perfect: choose correct voice and aspect before a past event) Original sentence: "The orator had been left the auditorium before the audience stood up." Choose the best correction that expresses the earlier completed action.
Verbal Ability
Sentence Correction
Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
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Ahad been leaving
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Bwas left
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Chad left
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Dwould leave
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ENo correction required
Answer
Correct Answer: had left
Explanation
Given data
- Two past-time points: (1) orator exits, (2) audience stands up.
- We need the earlier event in past perfect and in the active voice.
Concept/ApproachUse past perfect simple (had + past participle) for the action completed before another past action. Passive “had been left” would mean someone left the orator behind, which is not intended.
Step-by-stepEarlier event = orator exits → had left.Later event = audience stood up (simple past).
Option analysishad left — correct tense/aspect/voice. ✅was left — passive and wrong meaning.had been leaving — progressive aspect unnecessary; also odd meaning.would leave — conditional/habitual, not temporal sequencing.
Final Answer“… the orator had left … before the audience stood up.”