Standard English ConventionsMediumPast perfect for an earlier past action
Standard English Conventions practice question
By the time the first guests arrived, the host ____ the table and lit the candles.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A. had setCorrect
- B. has set
- C. was setting
- D. set
Answer: A. had set
Two past events are in sequence: the host finished setting the table BEFORE the guests arrived. 'By the time' signals that order, and the earlier of two past actions takes the past perfect: 'had set'.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. has set
- 'has set' is the present perfect, which connects to now. The sentence is entirely in the past, anchored by 'arrived'.
- C. was setting
- 'was setting' means the setting was still in progress when the guests arrived — but 'by the time' says it was already done.
- D. set
- 'set' is simple past, which leaves the two past events unordered. 'By the time' asks for the one that happened first to be marked as earlier.
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