Pick out the most effective word from the choices below to fill in the blanks…
2025
Pick out the most effective word from the choices below to fill in the blanks to make the sentence meaningfully complete.
Not only the actors but also their producers ________ been called to the NCB office.
- A.
had
- B.
have
- C.
has
- D.
are
Attempted by 53 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Correct Answer: have
Explanation:
In the construction 'not only ... but also', the verb agrees with the noun nearest to it. In the sentence, the phrase closest to the verb is 'their producers', which is plural, so the plural auxiliary 'have' must be used with 'been called' to form the present perfect passive.
have: Correct. 'have been called' matches the plural subject 'their producers' and gives the present perfect passive meaning.
has: Incorrect. 'has' is singular and would only be correct if the nearer noun were singular.
had: Incorrect in this context. 'had been called' is past perfect and changes the tense; it does not match the intended present perfect meaning.
are: Incorrect. 'are been called' is ungrammatical. For simple present passive you could say 'are called', but with 'been' you need the auxiliary 'have'.
Thus, the complete sentence should read: Not only the actors but also their producers have been called to the NCB office.