Which word completes the sentence: She ____ great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut?

Which word completes the sentence: She ____ great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut?

• A. Had
• B. Has
• C. Having
• D. Have

Answer: (A)

Choosing the right form is about tense consistency with a common expression. She had great difficulty getting her new passport is the natural past-tense version of “to have difficulty” and it fits the past situation indicated by the office being shut. Using the present forms would place the action in the present and clash with the past clause about the office being shut. Having would create a different, less natural structure here and isn’t the correct way to finish this sentence. The structure after “difficulty” is a gerund, so “getting” stays as the object of that expression. So the past form of have, “had,” best completes the sentence: She had great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut.

Choosing the right form is about tense consistency with a common expression. She had great difficulty getting her new passport is the natural past-tense version of “to have difficulty” and it fits the past situation indicated by the office being shut. Using the present forms would place the action in the present and clash with the past clause about the office being shut. Having would create a different, less natural structure here and isn’t the correct way to finish this sentence. The structure after “difficulty” is a gerund, so “getting” stays as the object of that expression. So the past form of have, “had,” best completes the sentence: She had great difficulty getting her new passport because the office was shut.