Fill in the blank with the correct verb form:
Scarcely had the CEO concluded her speech when the shareholders _______ to their feet.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. rose.
Context: The sentence describes an action that happened immediately after another action in the past.
Grammatical concept: When a sentence begins with 'Scarcely had,' it is used to describe an event that happened immediately after another. This structure follows a specific pattern of inversion:
Structure: Scarcely + had + subject + V3 (past participle) + when + subject + V2 (simple past).
Analysis of the given options:
Rose: This is the V2 (simple past) form of the verb 'rise.' It correctly follows the 'when' clause to show the second action.
Risen: This is the V3 form and cannot be used alone without a helping verb in this context.
Raises: This is a present tense transitive verb, which does not fit the past context or the intransitive requirement of the subject's movement.
Correct word/phrase: rose
Final sentence: Scarcely had the CEO concluded her speech when the shareholders rose to their feet.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.