16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsHardIrregular past participle

Standard English Conventions practice question

The letter had already been ____ by the time I arrived to help.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

  1. A. writtenCorrect
  2. B. wrote
  3. C. writing
  4. D. write

Answer: A. written

After 'had been', the past participle is needed. The participle of 'write' is 'written'.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. wrote
'wrote' is the simple past, not the participle. 'had been wrote' is never correct.
C. writing
'writing' would make the sentence 'had been writing', which needs a subject doing the writing and changes the meaning.
D. write
'write' is the base form; it can't follow 'had been'.

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