Question

Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank from the given alternatives.

The whole country was in ______ for the dead king.

• A. Mourn
• B. Mournful
• C. Mourning
• D. Mourned

Answer 1

The correct option is C Mourning

Mourn is a verb that expresses the feeling of sorrow for the death of someone or it is the feeling of regret or sadness about loss.

Mournful is an adjective which means feeling, expressing or inducing sadness, regret or grief.

Mourning is a gerund which is used in the expression of sorrow for someone's death.

Mourned is a verb which is the past participle form of 'mourn'.

So, from the given options, the most appropriate word that we can use in the sentence is 'mourning' as we are talking about the general feeling of the entire country and we cannot use a verb or an adjective in this case. Also, the word 'in' before the blank indicates that we need a noun. Although 'mourning' here acts as a gerund and not a noun, its function is that of a noun.