He _ English for two years before he moved to London.
Correct answer: C. Had been learning
- A. Learned
- B. Was learning
- C. Had been learning
- D. Is learning
Explanation
The correct answer is had been learning because it uses the past perfect continuous tense, which is appropriate for describing an ongoing action that occurred over a period of time in the past and was completed before another past event ('before he moved to London'). The option 'learned' implies a simple past action, 'was learning' indicates an action in progress but not complete before the other event, and 'is learning' is in the present tense, which does not fit the context of the sentence.
Last updated
About Tenses
Tenses show when an action or state occurs and whether it is complete, continuing or repeated. The work covers present, past and future forms, including simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous constructions, as well as sequence of tenses and the difference between tense and aspect.
Practise Grammar
6,178 free Grammar MCQs from English, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.
Exams that ask English questions like this
English is on 83 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.