Before I arrived, the choir … the hymn

Analyze the question

The sentence is "Before I arrived, the choir ___ the hymn." You need the correct verb form to fill the gap. The clue is the phrase "Before I arrived."

Explain the concept: the past perfect tense

When two past actions are described, the one that happened first uses the past perfect tense:

had + past participle

• The later action ("I arrived") uses the simple past.
• The earlier action ("the choir sang the hymn") uses the past perfect.

The principal parts of the verb sing are:

• Present: sing
• Past: sang
• Past participle: sung

Step-by-step solution

1. Two past actions are present: the choir singing and my arrival.
2. The choir finished singing before I arrived, so that action needs the past perfect: had + sung.
3. Check each option: • A. have sing: wrong. "Have" doesn't match the past time, and "sing" is not a past participle. • B. has sing: wrong. The verb form is incorrect, and "has" is singular present perfect. • C. had sung: correct. This is past perfect with the right past participle. • D. have sang: wrong. "Sang" is the simple past and cannot follow "have," and "have" is the wrong tense here.

Complete sentence: Before I arrived, the choir had sung the hymn.

Answer: C

Exam tip

When you see "before" with a past-tense verb such as "arrived," look for had + past participle in the options. Also remember that "sang" is never used after "have," "has," or "had." Use sung with those helpers. A quick memory line is: "Sing, sang, sung. Helpers go with sung."