Choose the correct grammatical form to complete the sentence:
By the time the foreign dignitaries arrived in Alexandria yesterday, the symposium _____ already.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. had commenced
- Step 1: Analyze the temporal sequence introduced by "By the time": the time clause contains a past simple anchor ("arrived... yesterday"), indicating that the symposium began prior to that specific moment in the past.
- Step 2: Apply tense sequencing rules for past anteriority: an action completed prior to another past event requires the past perfect tense: "had + past participle" -> "had commenced".
Answer
had commenced.
Why not the others: "has commenced" is present perfect, which cannot sequence prior to a past temporal marker ("yesterday"); "will commence" is future simple; "commences" is simple present.
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