The correct answer is: C. are playing
The sentence is in the present continuous tense, which is used to talk about things that are happening now. In this case, the match is happening now, so the correct verb tense is “are playing.”
The other options are incorrect because they do not agree with the tense of the sentence. Option A, “had played,” is in the past perfect tense, which is used to talk about things that happened before another event in the past. Option B, “were playing,” is in the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about things that were happening at a specific time in the past. Option D, “have played,” is in the present perfect tense, which is used to talk about things that have happened or been done before now. Option E, “played,” is in the simple past tense, which is used to talk about things that happened at a specific time in the past.
Here is a more detailed explanation of each option:
- A. had played is in the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about things that happened before another event in the past. In this case, the match is happening now, so the past perfect tense is not appropriate.
- B. were playing is in the past continuous tense. This tense is used to talk about things that were happening at a specific time in the past. In this case, the match is happening now, so the past continuous tense is not appropriate.
- C. are playing is in the present continuous tense. This tense is used to talk about things that are happening now. In this case, the match is happening now, so the present continuous tense is the correct verb tense.
- D. have played is in the present perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about things that have happened or been done before now. In this case, the match is happening now, so the present perfect tense is not appropriate.
- E. played is in the simple past tense. This tense is used to talk about things that happened at a specific time in the past. In this case, the match is happening now, so the simple past tense is not appropriate.