My brother was about … his house when i arrived

Analyze the question The sentence is "My brother was about ___ his house when I arrived." It tests the correct structure after "be about."

Explain the concept The idiom "be about to + base form of the verb" means "to be on the point of doing something; to be ready to do something very soon."

• She is about to travel.
• The students were about to write the exam.

The word "to" here is part of the infinitive, so the verb that follows must be in its base form (leave, go, write). It must not be "-ing," "have + past participle," or "be + -ing."

Solution: checking each option

• A. to leaving: Wrong. "To" is followed by an -ing form, which is not allowed in this structure.
• B. to have left: This is a perfect infinitive. It suggests the action was already completed, which does not fit "was about to," where the action had not yet happened.
• C. to leave: Correct. "Was about to leave his house" means he was on the verge of leaving when I arrived.
• D. to be leaving: This is a clumsy continuous infinitive and is not the standard idiom.

Answer The completed sentence is: *My brother was about to leave his house when I arrived.

Exam tip Remember the pattern "be about + to + base verb." If you see "about" followed by "to" in a WASSCE or JAMB question, look for the option with the plain verb, such as "to leave," "to go," or "to start." Avoid options with -ing or perfect forms.