Complete the sentence: "The ground was wet because it ___________ rain...
The correct answer is Option B: "had been." This sentence requires the past perfect continuous tense to indicate that the rain started in the past (at dawn) and continued up to another point in the past (when the ground was observed to be wet). The other options do not correctly convey the continuity of the action up to a point in the past.
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Complete the sentence: "The ground was wet because it ___________ rain...
Reasoning:
The correct answer is option B, "had been," because it indicates the past perfect tense, which is used to show an action that happened before another action in the past. In this case, the ground was wet because the rain had been falling since dawn.
Explanation:
- Past Perfect Tense: The use of "had been" in the sentence is appropriate because it shows that the action of raining started in the past and continued until a specific point in the past when the ground became wet.
- Sequence of Events: The sentence implies that the rain started in the morning and continued until it made the ground wet. This sequence of events is best conveyed using the past perfect tense.
Example:
- If we use the present perfect tense "has been" (option A), it would imply that the rain is still ongoing at the present moment, which does not fit the context of the sentence.
- Using "was" (option C) would imply a simple past tense, suggesting that the rain happened at a specific point in the past without emphasizing the duration of the rain.
- "Were" (option D) is incorrect as it is the plural form of "was" and does not fit grammatically in this sentence.
Therefore, the most suitable option is "had been" in option B, as it correctly conveys the idea that the rain had been falling continuously since dawn, leading to the wet ground.