Question

Read the given statement and fill in the blank using just, already or yet with the correct form of the verb given in the bracket:
Joe goes out. Five minutes later, the phone rings and the caller says 'Can I speak to Joe?'
You say: I'm afraid ____________ (go).

• A. he has just gone out
• B. he has already gone out
  
• C. he has gone out yet
  
• D. he has not gone out yet
  

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

he has just gone out

The present perfect tense is used to express something which is not yet finished, which started in the past and continues to the present or build a connect between the past and the present. The syntax for present perfect is: has (with singular subject) / have ( with plural subject ) + verb in past participle form. 'I' and 'You' are exceptional cases which, in spite of being singular subjects, take the verbs of plural subjects. 'Just' is used when the action happened some moments before the current time. 'Already' is used with actions done some time before the current time & 'Yet' is used with the action which has not been done until the present context of time. Here, the action of 'going' has very recently happened. Therefore, the correct answer is: He has just gone out. Most importantly, in a present perfect sentence, indefinite time expressions are used. In this case, 'just' makes sense because we are referring to an event that has just happened.