Choose the correct phrase from the given options to complete the given sentence:-
By the time we reached the theatre, the movie ______.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → had started
Correct sentence: By the time we reached the theatre, the movie had started.
This sentence refers to two past events:
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Reaching the theatre
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Movie starting
Since the movie started before they reached the theatre, we use the past perfect tense ("had started") to indicate the earlier of the two past actions.
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will have started: This is future perfect tense, indicating an action that will be completed by a certain time in the future. This doesn't fit the past context.
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has started: This is present perfect tense, indicating an action that started in the past and continues to the present, or a past action with relevance to the present. It doesn't correctly convey that the movie's start was prior to a specific past event (reaching the theatre).
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is starting: This is present continuous tense, indicating an action happening now or in the near future. This doesn't fit the past context.