had written
has written
had been writing
wrote
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
The correct answer is: C. had been writing
The sentence is in the past tense, so we need to use a past tense verb. The past tense of “write” is “wrote.” However, the sentence also tells us that the action of writing was happening over a period of time in the past, so we need to use a verb that expresses continuous action. The past tense of “write” that expresses continuous action is “had been writing.”
Here is a breakdown of each option:
- A. had written is the past perfect tense of “write.” The past perfect tense is used to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past. In this sentence, the action of writing happened before the action of meeting, so “had written” is not the correct answer.
- B. has written is the present perfect tense of “write.” The present perfect tense is used to talk about an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past or that has an ongoing effect in the present. In this sentence, the action of writing happened at a specific time in the past, so “has written” is not the correct answer.
- C. had been writing is the past perfect progressive tense of “write.” The past perfect progressive tense is used to talk about an action that was happening over a period of time in the past and that ended before another action in the past. In this sentence, the action of writing was happening over a period of time in the past and ended before the action of meeting, so “had been writing” is the correct answer.
- D. wrote is the simple past tense of “write.” The simple past tense is used to talk about an action that happened at a specific time in the past. In this sentence, the action of writing was happening over a period of time in the past, so “wrote” is not the correct answer.