The _______ form of a verb should be used to distinguish between actions completed in the immediate past and actions completed before a specific time.
A. past perfect
B. simple past
C. irregular
D. infinitive
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastperfect.html
Thank you Ms. Sue!
You're welcome, Brooke.
The correct answer is A. past perfect.
To determine the correct answer, we need to understand the difference between the past perfect and simple past verb tenses and how they are used to indicate actions completed at different times.
The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before a specific point in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb "had" followed by the past participle form of the main verb. For example, in the sentence "She had finished her work before the meeting started," the past perfect tense "had finished" indicates that the action of "finishing the work" was completed before the specific time mentioned, which is "before the meeting started."
On the other hand, the simple past tense is used to describe an action that was completed in the past, without any indication of when it occurred in relation to other events. It is formed by using the base form or simple past form of the verb. For example, in the sentence "She finished her work yesterday," the simple past tense "finished" indicates that the action of "finishing the work" took place in the past but does not specify whether it was completed before or after any other events.
In this question, we are specifically looking for the verb form that distinguishes between actions completed in the immediate past and actions completed before a specific time. Only the past perfect tense fulfills this requirement because it explicitly denotes actions completed before a specific point in the past. Therefore, the correct answer is A. past perfect.