Had been vs. are

[Lolitta]

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #119 "English Tenses", question 5

Mike: I don't honestly think you ......... telling the truth.

(a) were
(b) had been
(c) are
(d) will be

English Language Tests, Intermediate level

ESL/EFL Test #119 "English Tenses", answer 5

Mike: I don't honestly think you are telling the truth.

Correct answer: (c) are
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how about had been

Lolitta

[Alan]

Hi Lolitta,

You can't use had been here, which is past perfect because there isn't another past tense related to it. You would have to change the sentence to: I didn't think ...

Alan
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