A sentence says, "They were to be married last month but had to postpone the wedding until next month." Which revision is correct if the arrangement was made but not carried out?
AThey were to have been married last month but had to postpone the wedding until next month.
BThey had been to be married last month but had to postpone the wedding until next month.
CThey were being married last month but had to postpone the wedding until next month.
DThey had to be married last month but postponed the wedding until next month.
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. They were to have been married last month but had to postpone the wedding until next month.
When an arrangement in the past was planned but not carried out, the pattern is $\text{was/were to have been} +$ past participle. So "were to have been married" correctly expresses an unfulfilled arrangement. The other options do not convey that specific meaning accurately.
Related questions
Which version uses correct parallel structure? 'On weekends she enjoys _____.'Choose the most concise version that preserves the meaning: 'In order to be able to attendIn a passage praising a craftsman, the author writes that his work was 'measured and patieA passage describes a politician's reform proposals using words like 'audacious', 'boldly A passage notes that Mumbai commuters complete weekday journeys faster than weekend ones, A passage describes how a Bengaluru engineer designed a low-cost water filter for villagesChoose the option that follows correct gerund-vs-infinitive usage: 'She decided _____ the Choose the option with the correct verb-preposition pairing (formal English): 'The committ