English grammar — participial clause for simultaneous action: Choose the correction that makes the sentence tense-consistent. Original sentence: "He found the gold coin as he cleans the floor." Select the best replacement for the highlighted part.
Verbal Ability
Sentence Correction
Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
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Aas he had cleaned
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Bwhile he cleans
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Cwhich he is cleaning
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Dwhile cleaning
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ENo correction required
Answer
Correct Answer: while cleaning
Explanation
Given data
- Main clause in past simple: "He found…"
- Subordinate action is simultaneous and backgrounded.
Concept/ApproachUse a participial clause to show simultaneous action with past main clause: "He found … while cleaning the floor." This avoids a tense clash ("found" vs "cleans").
Option analysisA. "as he had cleaned" → past perfect implies completion before finding; wrong meaning.B. "while he cleans" → present simple clashing with past simple.C. "which he is cleaning" → present progressive clash and relative clause not needed.D. "while cleaning" → concise, tense-consistent, and idiomatic. ✔E. No correction → original is inconsistent.
Corrected sentence"He found the gold coin while cleaning the floor."
Final Answerwhile cleaning