Question

Pick the word that correctly completes the sentence. pablo was _____ his bike to school when his strap broke. rides rode ride riding

Answer 1

If youre not sure, it's a good idea to put every word in the blank to see what sounds correct.
Pablo was RIDES his bike when..
Pablo was RODE his bike when..
Pablo was RIDE his bike when..
Pablo was RIDING his bike when..
"Riding" is the only one that makes sense

Answer 2

The correct answer is D. Riding

Explanation:

In sentences, the verb or word that completes an idea depends on the context provided. In the case of the sentence "Pablo was _____ his bike to school when his strap broke" the auxiliary verb "was" suggests the event occurred in the past and was a continuous action because only in the past continuous tense the verb includes the auxiliar "was/were" followed by an -ing verb as in "I was going to the cinema".

This means the verb that correctly completes the sentence needs to end in -ing and therefore the correct word is "riding". Additionally, this tense is often used to explain an action in the past that was occurring before another action occurred which is applies to the sentence because the strap fo the bike broke while Pablo was riding.