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
  • A
    had been leaving
  • B
    was left
  • C
    had left
  • D
    would leave
  • E
    No 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.”

Discussion & Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Join Discussion