Question

Fill in the blank using an appropriate option:
Sorry, I’m late. The car _______ (break) down on my way here.
(a)break
(b)broke
(c)has broken
(d)will break

Answer 1

Hint: The first sentence already tells us the situation. Look for pointers suggesting which tense to use. The actions are completed in the second sentence. These pointers are indicators of a certain tense.

Complete answer: In grammar, tense is a category that expresses the time reference in a sentence. These tenses are usually manifested by the use of specific forms of verbs, particularly in their patterns of conjugation.
The main tenses found in many languages include the past, present, and future. The first
sentence is in the present tense. But, we need to look at the past tenses, as the given sentences need this particular tense. In the second part, the verb should describe a situation that happened in the recent past.

The simple present (also called present simple or present indefinite) is a verb tense which is used to show repetition, habit or generalisation. The simple present just uses the base form of the required verb.
Now we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options:
(a)break - This word is in the simple present tense. This tense does not fit into the given blank. This is not in the simple past tense. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(b)broke - This word is in the simple past tense. This is the required tense and it fits into the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
(c)has broken - This phrase is in the present perfect tense. This tense does not fit into the given blank. This is not in the simple past tense. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(d)will break - This phrase is in the simple future tense. This tense does not fit into the given blank. This is not in the simple past tense. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: Try to understand the meaning of the sentence. This will help you gauge which tense to use. Discover the words that point to a certain tense. Then, go through the given options and choose the correct answer accordingly.