Question

Form a meaningful sentence from the words given in the bracket:

'Was Tom at the party when you arrived?' 'No, he _____ (go) home.'

• A. had gone
• B. has gone
• C. have gone
• D. is gone

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

The given situation asks about a past event 'Was Tom at the party?'.

The given sentence narrates a situation from the past.

Option A: 'Had gone' is in past perfect tense. It states an action that completed in the past.

The past perfect tense indicates that an action completed 'had gone home' before another action took place 'when you arrived'.

Hence this option is relevant in meaning and A is correct.

Option B: 'Has gone' is in present perfect tense. It states an action that has just happened. But the situation has already happened in the past.

Option C: 'Have gone' is also in present perfect tense. 'Have' is the plural form of 'has', and it doesn't agree with the singular subject 'Tom'.

The given sentence is in the past, so it cannot be in the present perfect tense.

Option D: 'Is gone' is in simple present tense. It states a current action, but the sentence states a past event. It asks whether Tom 'WAS' at the party.

Hence options B, C and D are incorrect.