Who ___________ was coming to see us this evening?
2014
Who ___________ was coming to see us this evening?
- A.
you said
- B.
did you say
- C.
did you say that
- D.
had you said
Attempted by 53 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Correct sentence: Who did you say was coming to see us this evening?
Why this is correct:
The auxiliary 'did' is required to form a past simple direct question, so 'did you say' provides the correct question structure.
'Who' is the subject of the subordinate clause 'was coming to see us this evening'. The sentence combines a main question clause ('did you say') with that subordinate clause.
Using 'you said' without 'did' does not invert the auxiliary and subject, so it does not form a proper direct question.
Adding 'that' (as in 'did you say that') is unnecessary here because the wh-word already introduces the subordinate clause; omitting 'that' is more natural.
Using 'had you said' (past perfect) changes the time reference and is not appropriate for this simple past question.
Conclusion: 'did you say' correctly forms the past simple question and fits the sentence structure, so it is the best choice.