The thief had escaped before the police ____. Fill in the blank with…

The correct answer is Option (1) → came

Past perfect with simple past:

• When two actions happened in the past, one before the other:
  • The earlier action takes the past perfect (had + past participle).
  • The later action takes the simple past.
• "Before" joins the two clauses and already shows which action came first.
• This sentence: the thief's escape came first ("had escaped"), and the police arrived later, so the second clause takes the simple past: "before the police came".

Complete sentence: The thief had escaped before the police came.

Why the Other Options are Incorrect?

Option 2: had come — Incorrect. Putting both actions in the past perfect does not show the order. The later action, the arrival of the police, takes the simple past.

Option 3: had been coming — Incorrect. The past perfect continuous shows an action that went on for some time before a point in the past. The arrival of the police is a single completed action.

Option 4: was coming — Incorrect.

• The past continuous shows an action in progress, not a completed arrival.
• "Police" is a plural noun and would take were, not "was".