Question

Complete the paragraph below with the correct verb forms:

"I didn't feel well when I woke up the morning of the big match. I had a headache, and when I took my temperature, it was 39 degrees. I went downstairs to the kitchen to tell my parents. My father was reading the newspaper, and he did not look up. My mother was getting ready to go to work, but she stopped the moment she saw me. 'You don't look well,' she said. 'I'm afraid you can't go to the match.'"

Answer 1

The paragraph uses simple past tense verbs to convey events from the past, where the speaker details their illness and the resulting inability to attend a significant event. The verbs chosen provide a clear timeline and elicit empathy for the speaker's disappointment.

Step-by-step explanation:

The paragraph makes use of simple past tense verbs to describe a sequence of events from the past. The context suggests that the speaker is recounting an experience and expressing the inability to attend a significant event. The choice of verbs and their forms in narrative provides clarity and connects to the reader's understanding of the timeline of events.

Phrases such as 'I didn't feel well', 'I went downstairs', and 'My mother was getting ready' establish the actions and state that were continuing in the past. Additionally, the dialogue fits seamlessly into the recounting, with the mother's concern clearly shown through her words, which are also in simple past: 'You don't look well' and 'I'm afraid you can't go to the match'.

The student's inability to attend the match due to illness is confirmed by their father's input, reinforcing the theme of the narrative, which is the disappointment of missing an important event. The repetition of the student's physical and emotional state, such as 'I was crying' and 'did not make out a very good case for myself', highlights the distress experienced.