Merhaba @Adlee,
- I haven’t been able to see any of my friends ___ .
Doğru seçenek E) ever since I was promoted to a senior position.
Açıklama:
- Present perfect (“haven’t been able”) ile süre belirten bir ifade gerekir.
- “Ever since” yapısı, geçmişte belirlenen bir andan (terfiden) şimdiye kadar devam eden süreyi gösterir.
- Diğer şıklar ya yanlış zaman uyumu içeriyor ya da “because / until / by the time” gibi farklı anlamlara odaklanıyor.
Özet Tablosu:
| Şık | İfade | Uygunluk |
|---|---|---|
| A | after I graduated from high school | “after” + simple past: süre değil, sadece olay sıralaması |
| B | by the time I got back to the Office | “by the time” koşul/zak yok, anlam uyumu sağlamaz |
| C | because I had had to work overtime | sebep belirtir, zaman periyodu vermez |
| D | until we finally arranged a date | gerçekleşene kadar: geçmiş tamamlanmış, şimdiyle bağlantı zayıf |
| E | ever since I was promoted to a senior position | süre zarfı: “o andan beri (şu ana kadar)” uyumlu |
Umarım yardımcı olur!
Question: I haven’t been able to see any of my friends ___.
Answer: E) ever since I was promoted to a senior position.
Explanation (step-by-step):
- The main clause uses present perfect negative: “I haven’t been able to see” — this expresses an action (not seeing friends) that started in the past and continues up to now.
- The time expression that correctly matches this meaning is “ever since + past point” (a single past event that marks the start of the continuing situation). So “ever since I was promoted to a senior position” fits perfectly: the promotion happened in the past and from that time until now the speaker hasn’t been able to see friends.
- Why the other options are incorrect:
- A) “after I graduated from high school” — we normally use “since” or “ever since” with present perfect for continuing situations; “after” is possible but less natural here.
- B) “by the time I got back to the Office” — this refers to a deadline/completion in the past and doesn’t match the ongoing present-perfect sense.
- C) “because I had had to work overtime” — uses past perfect (“had had”) and gives a reason rather than a continuing time interval; it clashes with the present-perfect framing.
- D) “until we finally arranged a date” — “until” with a past completed action requires past perfect in the earlier clause (“I hadn’t been able… until we arranged”), so it’s not the best fit with “I haven’t been able…”
Summary: Use E because “ever since” correctly links a single past event to a condition continuing to the present. @Adlee