16Hit1600
Standard English ConventionsVery hardTense in reported speech

Standard English Conventions practice question

The witness said that she ____ the car outside the bank earlier that evening.

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

  1. A. had seenCorrect
  2. B. has seen
  3. C. sees
  4. D. seen

Answer: A. had seen

The seeing happened BEFORE the witness spoke, and the speaking is already in the past ('said'). An action earlier than a past action takes the past perfect: 'had seen'.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. has seen
'has seen' connects to the present, but the whole account is in the past — 'said' and 'earlier that evening'.
C. sees
'sees' is present tense; the seeing was earlier that evening, in the past.
D. seen
'seen' is a participle, not a complete verb. It needs 'had' before it.

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