Hcfyk

1. 
   

   Although the police suspected him, he was able to prove that he ...... when the crime was committed.

   
   
   

   A) was working.

   
   
   

   B) Worked.

   
   
   

   C) Had worked.

   
   
   

   D) Had been working.

   
   


2. 
   

   Someone next door ..... heavy metal music all night long. I didn't get a wink of sleep.

   
   
   

   A) was playing.

   
   
   

   B) has played.

   
   
   

   C)had been playing.

   
   
   

   D) has been playing

   
   

And please provide copious details on why you chose either of those tenses because this always presents a challenge to me.

In (1), you need a continuous tense because the suspect was working for a period of time. D or A would both be acceptable.

In (2) you also need a continuous tense (all night) so B is wrong. A is correct, D is OK if the sentence is spoken the morning after the disturbed night, C if the incident happened a few days ago.

For (1), the intended answer is probably D. Because we need to use a continuous tense, we can narrow the answers down to either A or D. The sequence of events is in a different order than the events are described in. In this case, ESL classes say you should use the past perfect (here, the past perfect continuous) to indicate which events happened earlier. So D is the best answer.

In fact, for native English speakers, using the past perfect is optional if the sequence of events is clear, even if they are presented out of order. Since this sequence of events is clear, A should also be considered an acceptable answer.

For (2), A is the best answer.

Why? Again, we need a continuous verb.

I don't like C because the not getting a wink of sleep occurred over the same time frame as the music playing, so if we use the present perfect continuous for one, we should use use the present perfect for the other. The following sentences are fine:

Someone next door has been playing heavy metal music all night long. I haven't got(ten) a wink of sleep.

But this wasn't one of our choices.

Because the two events (the not getting a wink of sleep and the music playing) were simultaneous, one didn't occur before the other, so the past perfect continuous doesn't work. Thus, D can be ruled out.

This leaves A.

English tense structure is such that it takes care of both time and sequence. It is pertinent to mention here that perfect and perfect continuous of all the three tenses rely on a fine tuning and modification of simple and continuous respectively. An element of extra characterizes the tenses that have '" perfect " to its name. Let's explain.

• While " simple present " just happens, " Present perfect" has to it the twilight zone between past and present.




• " Present continuous " ordinarily conveys a sense of progression Whereas " present perfect continuous " locates the event to a point of time or a period of time. Ordinary Continuous becomes perfect.



• 
  

  The BEFORE BEFORE / AFTER AFTER — Theory gives this sequence of events in simple past and past perfect a concrete shape

  
  
  
  
  
  1. The patient had died before the doctor came.
  
  
  
  

Or inversely

2. The doctor came after the patient had died.

Your sentences are part of linked passages of past events. Your narratives give the events a kind of past definiteness and help locate them in the context. The events that were otherwise just happening is now further distanced in time. In your example sentences PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS would be the right choice.

So, it's HAD BEEN WORKING / HAD BEEN PLAYING