Fill in the most appropriate Modal in the given sentence from the given options:-
She wondered if that _______ be true.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → could
Complete sentence: She wondered if that could be true. "She wondered if that could be true" means she doubted whether it was possible that the thing was true, which is the doubt the sentence expresses.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) would | "would" makes a grammatical sentence, but it only looks ahead to a later result (whether it would turn out true). The sentence asks whether the thing was possibly true, and that doubt is expressed by "could". | – |
| (2) could (answer) | Can / could express possibility: something may or may not be so. After a past verb such as wondered, "can" moves back to could. | He wondered if the news could be correct. |
| (3) was | "was be" is ungrammatical: "was" is not a modal and cannot be followed by the base form "be". | – |
| (4) had been | "had been be" is ungrammatical for the same reason. It is a tense form, not a modal. | – |