Question

Complete the sentence using appropriate option:

He couldn't find his way to our house. (a map) _______

• A. He don't have a map.
• B. He didn't have a map.
• C. He hadn't have a map.
• D. He haven't have a map.

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

He didn't have a map.

The first sentence is in simple past tense. It states an action 'couldn't find' in the past moment. 'Could' is a past tense modal verb. The second sentence 'no map' is the reason behind the first 'couldn't find his way'.

Hence the second sentence will also be in past tense.

Option B: 'Didn't have' is in simple past tense and states an action that happened in the past. It's the most appropriate option, expressing the past tense. Hence option B is correct.

Option A: 'Don't have' expresses the simple present tense, as opposed to the past action here 'couldn't'.

Option C: 'Hadn't have is not a correct phrase. 'Had' in 'had not' is a past tense verb and 'have' refers to the present.

('Haven't had' is correct since 'have' expresses the present perfect, along with the past participle 'had')

Option D: We use the past participle 'had' after 'haven't' to express the present perfect tense. But the present tense verb 'have' is not used as a main verb in a perfect tense.

The first 'have' is an auxiliary and the second 'have' is the main verb.

Hence options A, C and D are wrong.