By the time you arrive, they ____________ the meeting.a)will startb)wi...
The future perfect tense "will have started" is the correct choice. It suggests that the meeting will begin before your arrival and will be in progress or possibly finished by that time. The other options don't correctly use the future perfect tense, which is required to show an action that will be completed before a certain future moment.
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By the time you arrive, they ____________ the meeting.a)will startb)wi...
Understanding Future Perfect Tense
When analyzing the sentence "By the time you arrive, they ____________ the meeting," the correct option is "will have started." This choice relies on the rules of English tenses, specifically the future perfect tense.
Future Perfect Tense Explanation
- The future perfect tense is used to describe an action that will be completed before a specific point in the future.
- In this case, "by the time you arrive" indicates a future point at which another action (the meeting starting) will have already been completed.
Why Option B is Correct
- "Will have started": This phrase indicates that the meeting is expected to be finished before your arrival, which aligns with the future perfect tense structure (will + have + past participle).
Why Other Options are Incorrect
- Option A: "will start"
- This implies that the meeting will begin after your arrival, which contradicts the context of the sentence.
- Option C: "has started"
- The present perfect tense is not appropriate here since it does not fit the future context of the sentence.
- Option D: "have started"
- This option also fails to align with the future perspective required by "by the time you arrive."
Conclusion
Choosing "will have started" is correct because it accurately conveys that the meeting will be completed prior to your arrival, adhering to the future perfect tense's function.