Last summer, volunteers at the city library ______ a series of workshops on digital literacy for senior citizens.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
For verb tense questions, first locate any time clues (like "Last summer," "now," or "in the future") to decide which tense is needed. Then check that the verb form matches both the time and the subject (singular vs. plural). Quickly eliminate answer choices with the wrong tense or subject-verb agreement, and choose the remaining option that creates a clear, complete, and grammatically correct sentence.
Hints
Look at the time phrase
Focus on the phrase "Last summer" at the beginning of the sentence. What does this tell you about when the action happened?
Decide the tense you need
Ask yourself: Is the action happening now, ongoing, or already finished at a specific time in the past? Choose a verb tense that fits that situation.
Match the verb to the subject and time
The subject is "volunteers" (plural). Eliminate any options that don’t match a plural subject or that don’t fit a completed action at a specific past time.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the sentence and the blank
Read the full sentence:
"Last summer, volunteers at the city library ______ a series of workshops on digital literacy for senior citizens."
The blank is the main verb of the sentence, describing what the volunteers did.
Use the time clue to choose the tense
The phrase "Last summer" clearly refers to a specific time in the past. This tells you the action is completed and located in the past, so you should expect a simple past tense verb, not a present or ongoing form.
Check each option’s tense and form
Go through the choices and identify their forms:
- "leading" is an -ing form (present participle/gerund), usually used with a helping verb (like "were leading") or as a noun/adjective.
- "have led" is present perfect (have + past participle), which usually does not go with a specific past time like "Last summer."
- "leads" is simple present and also matches a singular subject, not a plural one like "volunteers." You need the simple past tense form of "lead" that matches the plural subject and a completed past action.
Select the verb that fits: simple past of "lead"
The simple past tense of "lead" is "led", which correctly matches the time clue "Last summer" and the plural subject "volunteers":
"Last summer, volunteers at the city library led a series of workshops on digital literacy for senior citizens."