Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
The labourers ______ the trench for the new water pipeline since breakfast, so let them rest in the shade now.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → have been digging
Present perfect continuous tense:
- Its form is has / have been + V-ing.
- It shows an action that began in the past and is still going on now.
- Clue word: “since breakfast” gives the starting point, and “now” shows the digging has gone on till this moment.
- Complete sentence: The labourers have been digging the trench for the new water pipeline since breakfast, so let them rest in the shade now.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: are digging — Incorrect.
- “Are digging” is the present continuous: am / is / are + V-ing.
- It shows an action going on now, but it cannot tell how long with “since”.
- Example: The boys are washing the car right now.
Option 3: had been digging — Incorrect.
- “Had been digging” is the past perfect continuous: had been + V-ing.
- It shows an action that went on up to a moment in the past, not up to now.
- Example: We had been walking for an hour when the rain started.
Option 4: dig — Incorrect.
- “Dig” is the simple present.
- It shows a habit or a general fact, not one action going on since a past point.
- Example: Farmers plough their fields before the monsoon.