29. Select the correct word for the blank in the following sentence: The other day, Stan began reviewing his class notes in preparation for the final exam.
Answer: D
Stan began reviewing his class notes in preparation for the final exam.
The correct word to complete the sentence is "began," which is the simple past tense form of the verb "begin." This correctly indicates that Stan's action of reviewing his notes took place in the past.
A) begins
"Begins" is the present tense form of the verb "begin." It would imply that Stan is currently starting to review his notes, which does not fit the context of the sentence indicating a past action.
B) begun
"Begun" is the past participle form of the verb "begin," typically used with auxiliary verbs. It cannot stand alone in this context without a helping verb, making it an incorrect choice for this sentence structure.
C) begin
"Begin" is the base form of the verb and is also in the present tense. This choice would suggest that Stan is about to start reviewing his notes right now, which contradicts the past context provided by the rest of the sentence.
D) began
"Began" is the simple past tense of "begin." It accurately reflects that Stan's action of reviewing notes occurred in the past, aligning perfectly with the sentence's timeframe.
Conclusion
The choice "began" is definitively correct as it conveys that Stan was reviewing his notes at a specific time in the past. All other options either represent incorrect verb tenses or forms that do not fit the sentence structure, confirming that "began" is the only suitable answer.