Home » Verbal Ability » Sentence Correction

Sequence of tenses: Choose the correct form for the clause with "when". Original sentence: "We were still standing in the queue when the film was beginning." Select the best correction.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: film had begun

Explanation:

Given data

  • Ongoing past action: "were still standing".
  • Reference point: start of the film happened earlier.


Concept/Approach
Use past perfect to show an earlier completed past event relative to another past action: had + past participle.


Step-by-step
Change "was beginning" to "had begun" to mark anteriority.Corrected: "We were still standing in the queue when the film had begun."


Option analysis
B is correct for anterior past; A (simple past) is possible in some narratives, but the question targets clear sequence marking; C/D are incorrect; E leaves a tense mismatch.


Common pitfalls
Using a progressive for a punctual starting point ("was beginning").


Final Answer
film had begun

← Previous Question Next Question→

More Questions from Sentence Correction

Discussion & Comments

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