Fill in the blank with correct option to complete a message from Yogita to her friend Shobit : Dear Shobit, Let's meet at 5 p.m. for the rehearsal but I need to go home first as I anything since morning. (A) did not eat (B) had not eaten (C) have not eaten (D) am not eating
Fill in the blank with correct option to complete a message from Yogita to her friend Shobit : Dear Shobit, Let's meet at 5 p.m. for the rehearsal but I need to go home first as I anything since morning. (A) did not eat (B) had not eaten (C) have not eaten (D) am not eating
Options
Option (C) — 'have not eaten', because the action of not eating began in the morning and remains true at the moment of speaking, which is the standard present perfect + 'since' construction.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for selecting the correct option (C); no marks for any other option.
Hint
'Since + a point in time' with an action still true now signals the present perfect tense ('have/has + past participle').
Quick Oral Answer
The correct answer is 'have not eaten' because the action of not eating started in the past (morning) and is still true now, which is exactly what the present perfect tense with 'since' expresses.
Analysis & Explanation
This tests present perfect vs. simple past/past perfect/present continuous, cued by 'since morning'.
Concept
- An action starting in the past and still true at the moment of speaking, combined with 'since + a point in time', requires the present perfect ('have/has + past participle').
Key Points
- Option (C) 'have not eaten' is correct: Yogita's not-eating began in the morning and is still true now, matching present perfect + 'since'.
- Option (A) 'did not eat' (simple past) wrongly implies a completed action with no present relevance.
- Option (B) 'had not eaten' (past perfect) needs a second, later past reference point, which this message lacks — it is set entirely in the present.
- Option (D) 'am not eating' (present continuous) describes an action happening right now or a temporary arrangement, not an unbroken state since a past point.
Common Mistakes
- परीक्षा में सावधानी: Students often default to simple past whenever they see 'since', without checking whether the situation is still true in the present — 'since' + present relevance almost always signals present perfect.
Common Mistakes
- 1Choosing 'did not eat' (simple past) simply because it 'sounds natural', without checking that the situation of not having eaten is still ongoing into the present.
- 2Confusing past perfect ('had not eaten') with present perfect — past perfect requires a second, later past event as a reference point, which is absent here.
- 3Selecting the continuous form 'am not eating', which incorrectly implies an action happening at this exact moment rather than a state continuing since morning.
Interesting Facts
The present perfect tense is one of the most frequently tested grammar points in CBSE Class 10 English because it has no direct one-to-one equivalent in many Indian languages, making it a common source of translation-based errors.
'Since' is always paired with a specific point in time (since morning, since 2020, since Monday), while 'for' is paired with a duration (for two hours, for three days) — both usually require the perfect aspect.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't 'had not eaten' (past perfect) be correct here?
Past perfect needs a second past event to compare against (e.g., 'before the rehearsal started'); the message is written in the present ('I need to go'), so there is no later past reference point, making past perfect grammatically inappropriate here.
Is 'since' always followed by present perfect tense?
In standard usage, yes — 'since' marks a starting point in the past for a situation that continues to be true up to now, which is the defining feature of the present perfect (or present perfect continuous) tense.