Question

The Boy Scouts (love, loved) their new clubhouse, which they built last summer.

Short answer

The correct sentence is: 'The Boy Scouts loved their new clubhouse, which they built last summer.'

Step-by-step solution

Identifying the tense

Identify the tense required by looking at the context of the sentence. The reference to a specific past time ('last summer') indicates that this sentence requires a form using the past simple tense.

Choosing the even form

Between 'love' and 'loved', 'love' is the present tense form of the noun, and 'loved' is the past simple form. Since the required tense is past simple, the correct verb form to choose is 'loved'.

Inserting the correct verb form

Insert 'loved' into the sentence in place of '(love, loved)', giving: 'The Boy Scouts loved their new clubhouse, which they built last summer.'

Key concepts

Verb Tense

Verb tense is a very important aspect of grammar as it helps to indicate the time at which an action occurs. It tells us when something happened, is happening, or will happen.

There are three primary tenses: past, present, and future. Each of these main tenses can be further divided into aspects such as simple, progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive. Choosing the correct verb tense is essential for conveying the right meaning in your sentences. By examining the context of your sentence, such as any time indicators like 'last summer' or 'next year', you can determine which tense fits best.

Past Simple Tense

The past simple tense is used to describe actions that occurred and were completed at a specific point in time in the past. This tense is often used with time expressions, such as yesterday, last week, two years ago, or, as in our example, 'last summer.'

To form the past simple tense for regular verbs, generally, you add '-ed' to the base form of the verb. For example:

• walk ➔ walked
• play ➔ played
• visit ➔ visited

Irregular verbs do not follow this rule and have unique past simple forms such as 'go' becoming 'went' and 'eat' becoming 'ate.' It is important to memorize or become familiar with common irregular verbs to use them correctly in the past simple tense.

Sentence Structure

Sentence structure refers to the order and arrangement of words in a sentence. A well-structured sentence clearly conveys the intended meaning to the reader or listener.

In English, the basic sentence structure follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order. In our exercise, "The Boy Scouts loved their new clubhouse," follows this basic structure:

• Subject: The Boy Scouts
• Verb: loved
• Object: their new clubhouse

Using correct sentence structure is essential for clarity and effectiveness in communication. Ensure your sentences have both a subject and a verb, and place them correctly to create logical and meaningful expressions.

Context Clues

Context clues are hints or signals within a sentence or passage that help readers understand the meaning of unfamiliar words or determine the appropriate verb tense.

In the provided exercise, the phrase "last summer" is a context clue. It indicates that the action happened in the past and helps decide that the past simple tense 'loved' should be used.

Using context clues effectively involves paying attention to adjoining phrases, surrounding content, and any time-related words. Recognizing these clues can drastically improve comprehension and the ability to accurately complete sentences, whether in grammar exercises or real-life writing and reading scenarios.