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.
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