Sentence Improvement · Question 29 · Hard

Sentence Improvement question 29

Choose the best replacement for the part in square brackets. If no change is needed, choose 'No improvement'.
When I returned, the documents [were laying] on the desk since morning.

  1. were lying
  2. had been lying
  3. have laid
  4. No improvement
Answer and explanation

Answer: B. had been lying

Explanation: 'Lie' (to rest) is intransitive, so 'lying', not 'laying'. With 'since morning' and the past reference point 'When I returned', the past perfect continuous 'had been lying' is needed.

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