Choose the correct option to complete the following sentence.
Sohan said he regretted that he _________.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → had acted so hastily.
Past perfect for the earlier past action:
- When two actions are both in the past, the one that happened first takes the past perfect: had + past participle.
- This sentence:
- Sohan regretted (past) his action.
- The hasty action came before the regret, so it becomes "he had acted so hastily".
Complete sentence: Sohan said he regretted that he had acted so hastily.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: has acted so hastily. — Incorrect. After the past verbs "said" and "regretted", the present perfect "has acted" breaks the sequence of tenses.
Option 3: was acting so hastily. — Incorrect. The past continuous shows an action in progress. One regrets a completed act, done earlier.
Option 4: did the act hastily. — Incorrect. The simple past does not show that the act came before the regret, and "did the act" is an unnatural way of saying "acted".
Contrast: "had acted" puts the act before the past regret. "Has acted" and "did the act" do not show that order.