Question

It's good to see you again. Where have you _____?
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
A) gone
B) being
C) been
D) went

Answer 1

Hint: The given question is about tenses and their syntax. Tenses are the grammatical tools we use to express the time of the occurrence of the event. There are three basic forms of tenses; Past, Present and future. Each tense is further divided into four sub-forms; Simple, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous. There is a certain pattern for each tense. Keeping all this information in mind can help a lot to find the solution to these types of questions.

Complete answer:
The given statement is in the form of a dialogue where the speaker is asking a question. The tense used in the question is “Present Perfect Continuous”. This tense is used to express an event that has started in the past and has continued up till now. The syntax for Present Perfect Continuous is ‘Subject + Has/have + Been + Past Participle form of verb + Object”.

Let us analyze the given options:
Option (A) gone- is incorrect because it is in past tense and indicates an event already completed in the past.
Option (B) being- is incorrect because it is used to express progressive action in the present participle.
Option (C) been- is correct because it indicates an action just completed. It is the most appropriate option as it expresses the time immediately before the present.
Option (D) went- is incorrect because it expresses the action already completed in the past.

Therefore the correct answer is option ‘C’ i.e It's good to see you again. Where have you been?

Note: While working with the tenses, keep in mind the following rules for the syntax of the sentence:
The four sub-forms of each tense have a specific usage as mentioned below:
- Simple Tense: It is used for ongoing or routine action in the Present Tense, activity which is over in the Past Tense and activity to occur in the Future Tense.
- Continuous Tense: It is used when the activity is fragmented or consistent or going on.
- Perfect Tense: It is used when the activity is finished, completed or wonderful regarding a specific purpose of time.
- Perfect Continuous Tense: It is used when the activity is going on persistently throughout an extensive stretch of time and is yet to be done.
Also, follow the syntax of each tense rule as follows:

	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect-Continuous
Past	Sub+V2+Obj	Sub+Was/Were +V1+ing+Obj	Sub+Had+V3+Obj	Sub+Had Been+V1+ing+ Obj
Present	Sub+V1+Obj	Sub+Is/Am/Are+V1+ing+Obj	Sub+Has/have+ V3 Obj	Sub+Has/have+ Been+V1+ing+ Obj
future	Sub+Shall/Will+ V1+Obj	Sub+Shall/Will+ be+V1+ing+Obj	Sub+Shall/Will+ Have+V3+Obj	Sub+Shall/Will+Have+Been+V1+ ing+Obj