Question 97·Easy·Form, Structure, and Sense
In 2020, the city council approved a plan to renovate several public parks. Since then, construction crews _____ three of the five playgrounds originally scheduled for improvement.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For verb tense questions, always start by underlining time clues such as "since then," "for many years," "by 2010," or "next year." Decide whether the sentence describes a completed past action (simple past), an ongoing or recently completed action connected to now (present perfect), or a future action (future tense). Then check that the verb form you pick both matches that time frame and agrees with the subject in number (singular/plural). Use elimination: cross out any choice with the wrong tense or subject–verb agreement, then select the remaining option that fits the sentence smoothly.
Hints
Pay attention to time words
Focus on the phrase "Since then" at the start of the second sentence. What does it tell you about when the action happened and whether it connects to the present?
Decide which tense you need
Ask yourself: Is this action only in the past, only in the future, or does it connect past and present? Choose a verb tense that matches that idea.
Match the verb to the subject
The subject is "construction crews." Is that singular or plural? Make sure the helping verb (if there is one) agrees with that subject.
Eliminate mismatched tenses
Cross out any choice that describes the action as purely past or purely future if it doesn’t fit well with "Since then." Then check which remaining option agrees with "construction crews."
Step-by-step Explanation
Notice the time phrase
Look at the transition between the sentences: "In 2020, the city council approved... Since then, construction crews _____..." The phrase "Since then" is very important because it shows that we are talking about something that began in the past and is still relevant now.
Match the time phrase to the correct tense
When an action started in the past and continues up to now or has present results, English usually uses the present perfect tense. This tense is formed with "has" or "have" + past participle (for example, "have finished," "has played"). We need a verb form that matches this tense pattern.
Check subject–verb agreement
The subject of the blank is "construction crews", which is plural. A plural subject must use "have" (not "has") in the present perfect tense. Now look through the answer choices to find the one that uses "have" plus the past participle of the verb.
Choose the option that fits both tense and agreement
The only choice that uses present perfect with a plural subject is "have completed", so the correct sentence is: "Since then, construction crews have completed three of the five playgrounds originally scheduled for improvement."