Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence.
She was foolish enough to think that she be completely safe.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. would be completely safe.
Error concept: Sequence of tenses and reported/indirect speech involving imagined or future-in-the-past ideas.
What is wrong: The verb “be” is incorrect and ungrammatical here.
Grammatical concept: In indirect speech following a past reporting verb like “was foolish enough to think,” the verb in the subordinate clause must shift accordingly.
When referring to a future idea from a past point of view, use 'would' (the past equivalent of 'will').
Incorrectness of the concept in context:
- has being completely safe – grammatically incorrect structure.
- have been completely safe – present perfect; doesn't match the tense sequence.
- were completely safe – sounds like a hypothetical condition, but the original sentence isn’t expressing a wish or imaginary state.
How to correct: Since she thought in the past about being safe in the future, we use “would be” to reflect the correct sequence.
Correction: would be completely safe
Final sentence: She was foolish enough to think that she would be completely safe.
Hence, the chosen option is correct.