Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb given in the bracket:
When little Arnav tried to walk around the house in his father’s big office shoes, the whole family could not help ______ (smile).
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → smiling
Complete sentence: When little Arnav tried to walk around the house in his father’s big office shoes, the whole family could not help smiling. The family could not stop themselves from smiling.
| Option | Form and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) smiling (answer) | the -ing form; “cannot help” (past: could not help) in the meaning “cannot stop oneself from doing something” is followed by it | Dadi cannot help smiling when her grandchildren sing. |
| (2) to smile | a to-verb; it does not follow “cannot help” in this meaning. It follows verbs like want and try | The shy girl tried to smile for the class photo. |
| (3) smile | the base form without “to”; follows make + person or let + person, not “could not help” | The clown made the children smile. |
| (4) smiled | the past form; “could” already shows the past, so the verb after “could not help” does not change for tense | Grandmother smiled at the baby. |