Fill the correct present perfect or simple past form of the verb from the options given below :
Elizabeth ________ the Queen of England for many years and she is still the Queen.
Fill the correct present perfect or simple past form of the verb from the options given below :
Elizabeth ________ the Queen of England for many years and she is still the Queen.
The correct option is B Has been
'Has been' is the present perfect form of the verb 'to be'. It is used to denote an action that was started in the past and completed at some point in the recent past. The blank should be filled with ‘has been’ because it explains how the act of being the Queen of England started and continued for many years in the past. Hence option B is correct. On the other hand, 'Was' which is an example of simple past tense is used to denote an action that occurred in the distant past, with no mention of the time period for which it lasted. Whereas, ‘is’ would be an example of simple present tense, which is used to talk about actions that are true at all times and in general statements. Thus options A and C are incorrect because the sentence is neither about an action in the past nor is the sentence a general truth. Whereas, ‘had been’ is an example of past perfect tense. It is used to refer to something that happened at some point in the past, before another action occurred, in the past. There should be two actions for us to use past perfect tense. The given sentence speaks about only one action that started in the past and completed in the recent past; therefore past perfect tense cannot be used. Hence option D is incorrect.
'Has been' is the present perfect form of the verb 'to be'. It is used to denote an action that was started in the past and completed at some point in the recent past. The blank should be filled with ‘has been’ because it explains how the act of being the Queen of England started and continued for many years in the past. Hence option B is correct. On the other hand, 'Was' which is an example of simple past tense is used to denote an action that occurred in the distant past, with no mention of the time period for which it lasted. Whereas, ‘is’ would be an example of simple present tense, which is used to talk about actions that are true at all times and in general statements. Thus options A and C are incorrect because the sentence is neither about an action in the past nor is the sentence a general truth. Whereas, ‘had been’ is an example of past perfect tense. It is used to refer to something that happened at some point in the past, before another action occurred, in the past. There should be two actions for us to use past perfect tense. The given sentence speaks about only one action that started in the past and completed in the recent past; therefore past perfect tense cannot be used. Hence option D is incorrect.
