Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the underlined segment in the given sentence. If there is no need to substitute it, select ‘No substitution required’.
The inspector smile after he was finished and patted Margie’s head.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. smiled.
The verb "smile" in the original sentence is in its base form, which is incorrect because the sentence describes an action that happened in the past.
To maintain grammatical consistency with the past tense verbs "was finished" and "patted," the verb "smile" must also be in the past tense, which is "smiled."