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Jooney Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

When

Hi,

Q) Which sentence ending(s) is(are) right?

When I got up this morning,(blank)

A: the birds were singing.

B: the birds sang.

C: I was having breakfast.

D: I had breakfast.

The correct answers are 'A' and 'D'.

Why can't 'B' be a correct answer?

Isn't it true that both 'A' and 'B' can be considered as the event immediately followed the 'when' clause?

Is there any reason not to count 'B' as a correct answer?

Thanks very much in advance.
  

Top answer

jooney Why can't 'B' be a correct answer? It can be a correct answer, but the people who designed the test expect you to think that the birds wouldn't start singing just because you woke up, so the scenario is implausible even though the grammar is fine. The reasoning for why C is also considered incorrect is similar.

— CalifJim

  • jooney Why can't 'B' be a correct answer?
  • It can be a correct answer, but the people who designed the test expect you to think that the birds wouldn't start singing just because you woke up, so the scenario is implausible even though the grammar is fine.
  • The reasoning for why C is also considered incorrect is similar.
  • Grammatically, it's fine, but in terms of the scene described, it hardly makes sense to be having breakfast at the time one wakes up, except in some sort of dream-like fantasy.
  • The key to understanding the recommended answers is to judge more than the grammar.
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2 Answers
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jooneyWhy can't 'B' be a correct answer?
It can be a correct answer, but the people who designed the test expect you to think that the birds wouldn't start singing just because you woke up, so the scenario is implausible even though the grammar is fine.

The reasoning for why C is also considered incorrect is similar. Grammatically, it's fine, but in
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Got it! Thank you for clearing that up!Emotion: smile
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