A sentence has been given with a blank to be filled with an appropriate option. Choose the correct alternative.
Snow ___________ lightly as everyone was leaving church.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. was falling.
- Was falling is the suitable option.
- The sentence describes an action happening in the past while everyone was leaving the church.
- The phrase "was falling" in the past continuous tense denotes that the snow fell nonstop as people were leaving the church.
- Compared to other options:
- Falling: This verb is a present participle and, in the absence of an auxiliary verb, it is not grammatically acceptable as the main verb in this phrase. It is incomplete on its own, but it might be effective when used in conjunction with the past continuous tense ("was falling") or present continuous tense ("is falling").
- Is falling: This is in the present continuous tense, which denotes that something is happening right now.
- Fallen: The past participle form of "fall" is used to create perfect tenses, such as "has fallen" or "had fallen," by combining it with another verb. Without an auxiliary verb, it is grammatically incorrect to use it as the primary verb in this phrase.