My father made me … at home.

Analyze the question: The sentence is "My father made me ......... at home." We need the correct verb form after the causative verb made.

Concept: Causative verbs (make, let, have) When make, let, or have is used in the active voice with an object, it is followed by the bare infinitive (the base verb without "to").

• My teacher made us write the test again.
• She let him go home.
• The manager had them wait outside.

The "to" only appears when the sentence is in the passive voice: "I was made to stay at home by my father."

Step-by-step solution:

1. The structure is: subject (My father) + made + object (me) + __.
2. Made is a causative verb in the active voice, so it needs a bare infinitive.
3. Check each option: • A. stay: bare infinitive. Correct. • B. stayed: past tense. After made me, we don't use a past form. Wrong. • C. to be staying: wrong structure, because to and the continuous form don't follow active made me. • D. to stay: this would be correct only in the passive ("I was made to stay"). Wrong here.

Answer: The sentence reads, "My father made me stay at home.

Exam tip: Remember "Make, Let, Have: drop the to!" If you see made/let/had + person, go for the base verb. Only add to when the sentence turns passive (was made to...). WAEC loves testing this.