Question

Choose the correct form of the verb to fill in the following blank:
She said she knew that Joyce …………………. her the truth.
A) tell
B) had been telling
C) telling
D) is told

Answer 1

Hint: In order to discern the correct tense to be used in any sentence, we have to keep in mind two things - one, if the options provided make grammatical sense within the framework of the given sentence; and two whether the secondary action in the sentence has completed or is in the process of unfolding within the relevant timeframe.

Complete step by step answer:
Let’s discuss the given options and find the correct answer.

tell: The word tell does not grammatically agree with the sentence as the former is present tense and the required is past perfect continuous form.
had been telling: It is the past perfect continuous form t and he corrects answer, and of
telling: The word “telling” does not grammatically agree with the sentence as the former is present tense and the required is past perfect continuous form.
is told: The word “is told” does not grammatically agree with the sentence as the former is present tense and the required is past perfect continuous form.

So, the correct answer is “Option B”.

Note:
In this case, we see that she already knew of Joyce's truth; ruling out the present continuous tense. The correct answer, and of the past perfect continuous form - which is obtained by adding 'had been' to the base verb + ing.