40%
Help the eccentric detective finish her dramatic case report by selecting the correct narrative tenses for each blank.
When I finally burst into the dimly lit parlor, the suspect __________________________ back and forth for nearly an hour. The poor man _______________________________ four cups of black coffee and __________________________________ like a leaf in a hurricane.
The correct answers are had been pacing, had already consumed, and was violently trembling.
had been pacing: We use the past perfect continuous to emphasize the duration of an action ("for nearly an hour") that was ongoing up to a specific point in the past (when the detective "burst" in).
had already consumed: We use the past perfect simple to show that an action was completely finished before another past action. He finished the four cups before she entered the room.
was violently trembling: We use the past continuous to describe an ongoing background action or state at a specific moment in the past. When she looked at him, he was in the middle of trembling.