It is high time we ........ seeing her

Analyze the question

The sentence is "It is high time we ........ seeing her." The key phrase is "It is high time", which follows a special grammar rule.

Explain the concept

After "It is (high/about) time + subject", English uses the simple past tense (the past subjunctive). The verb looks past, but the meaning is present or future. It says the action should already have happened and is now overdue.

Examples:

• It is high time you went to bed.
• It is about time the government fixed the roads.
• It is high time he learned to be responsible.

Step-by-step solution

1. Identify the structure: It is high time + we + verb.
2. This structure requires the past form of the verb.
3. Check each option: • A. stop is the base form, which is wrong after "high time". • B. will stop is wrong because "will" is not used after "it is high time". • C. stopped is the simple past, which is correct. • D. stops is wrong because it is third-person singular present, and the subject "we" does not take it.

The correct sentence is: "It is high time we stopped seeing her."

Answer: C (stopped)

Exam tip

When you see "It is high time / about time / time + subject", choose the past tense verb. Remember: "High time" means the past form, but the action is overdue now.

(Note: "It is time to stop..." is another correct structure, but it uses an infinitive and no subject.)