Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option.
Their passports ____ checked by the officer.

• A. already have
• B. have already been
• C. already been
• D. have already to be

Answer 1

The correct option is B have already been

In the sentence, the word 'checked' is the main verb and is in its past participle form. According to the rules of usage, a verb is used in its past participle form only in perfect tenses. Thus, the answer must be an auxiliary that indicates that the tense of the sentence is in its perfect form.

Option A is incorrect. 'already have' indicates that the sentence is in the present perfect tense but, it conveys the meaning that it was the passports that did the checking and not the officer. This makes the meaning of the sentence illogical and so, 'already have' is incorrect.

Option B is correct. 'have already been' indicates that the sentence is in the present perfect tense. Thus, it meets the required condition and is the correct answer.

Option C is incorrect. 'already been' does not indicate that the tense is in its perfect form as it does not have the auxiliary 'have' or its other forms to do so. Thus, using it will make the tense of the sentence inconsistent.

Option D is incorrect. 'have already to be' indicates that the tense of the sentence is present perfect tense but 'to be' is an infinitive and not an auxiliary. Thus, using it will make the sentence grammatically incorrect.