Choose the correct option to replace the underlined part of the sentence:
By the time Nani found her reading glasses, the news bulletin on TV has already ended.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → had already ended
Past perfect for the earlier of two past actions:
- When two actions happened in the past, the one that happened first takes the past perfect: had + past participle (V3).
- The news bulletin ended first. Nani found her glasses later. So the sentence needs “the news bulletin had already ended”.
- The given sentence says “has already ended”. This is wrong: “has ended” is the present perfect, and it cannot show an action that came before another past action.
- Complete sentence: By the time Nani found her reading glasses, the news bulletin on TV had already ended.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: already ends — Incorrect. “Ends” is the simple present, but the sentence is about the past (“found”). Example: The news bulletin ends at nine every night.
Option 3: have already ended — Incorrect. “Have ended” is also the present perfect. It cannot show the earlier of two past actions. Example: The exams have already ended, so the hostel is quiet.
Option 4: will already end — Incorrect. “Will end” is about the future. It does not fit a sentence about the past.