Standard English ConventionsVery hardTense in reported speech about a dated event
Standard English Conventions practice question
The guide explained that the castle's keep ____ in 1240, a century before the outer walls.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A. had been builtCorrect
- B. has been built
- C. is built
- D. will be built
Answer: A. had been built
The guide's explanation is in the past ('explained'), and the building happened earlier still. The past perfect places the earlier event: 'had been built'.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. has been built
- 'has been built' links to the present, but a completed event with a date in 1240 is firmly past.
- C. is built
- 'is built' is present tense for something that happened in 1240.
- D. will be built
- 'will be built' is future.
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