Multiple choice softskills communication

By the time I got to the hotel, ________ any rooms left.

  1. there hadn't been

  2. there wasn't

  3. there isn't

  4. there weren't
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The phrase 'By the time I got to the hotel' uses the past simple tense (got). When we have two past actions and want to show that one happened before the other, we use the past perfect for the earlier action. However, this sentence describes a situation/state at that past moment, not an action - 'there weren't any rooms left' correctly describes the state that existed when I arrived. Option A 'there hadn't been' would mean 'there had never been' which changes the meaning to suggest no rooms ever existed, not just that none were available at that time.

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