Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
Our neighbours ______ their house a bright yellow just before Diwali last year, and the colour has already faded in the rain.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → repainted
Simple past tense:
- Its form is the past form of the verb (V2), here “repainted”.
- It shows an action done and finished at a known time in the past.
- Clue word: “last year”, a finished past time.
- A finished past time takes the simple past.
- Complete sentence: Our neighbours repainted their house a bright yellow just before Diwali last year, and the colour has already faded in the rain.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: have repainted — Incorrect.
- “Have repainted” is the present perfect.
- It does not go with a finished past time like “last year”.
- Example: I have lost my pen, so I need to borrow one.
Option 3: had repainted — Incorrect.
- “Had repainted” is the past perfect.
- It shows the earlier of two past actions, and this sentence has no second past action.
- Example: The film had begun before we found our seats.
Option 4: will repaint — Incorrect.
- “Will repaint” is the simple future.
- It shows an action still to come, so it cannot go with a past time like “last year”.
- Example: Papa will fix the gate tomorrow.