Yesterday I got a call from my old friend, and he . . . . . . . . me the whole story. A. telling B. told C. tells D. tell

The correct answer is B. told.

The sentence is in the past tense, so the verb must also be in the past tense. Of the four options, only told is in the past tense.

A. telling is in the present participle tense, which is used to describe an action that is happening at the same time as the speaker is speaking.

C. tells is in the present tense, which is used to describe an action that happens regularly or repeatedly.

D. tell is the infinitive form of the verb, which is used to express a general idea or to make a request.