Which word should replace the underlined word? “Yesterday we [play] tag at recess.”
Use Standard Grammar, Usage, and Spelling to Edit · TELPAS Grade 2 writing. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.
Reporting category 2: find and fix an error in a short text. On the real test some of these are typed answers or sentence rewrites. Here they are multiple choice so they can be checked.
The question
Choose the best answer.
Read the sentence. The underlined word has an error. Yesterday we [play] tag at recess. Which word should replace the underlined word?
- playedCorrect answer
- plays
- playing
- will play
Why “played” is correct
"Yesterday" tells us the game already happened, so the verb must be in the past tense. Most verbs add -ed for the past: play becomes played. Teaching students to look for time words like yesterday, last week and tomorrow helps them choose the right tense.
Why the other answers are wrong
- plays — Plays is for something happening now or every day, and it is used with one person, not we.
- playing — "We playing" is missing a helping word, and it does not show the past.
- will play — Will play is for the future, but yesterday is in the past.
Practice more of this
More writing practice for Grade 2, or see the TELPAS practice test for 2nd grade.
This is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Texas Education Agency or the official TELPAS program. All questions here are original practice material written to match the published test design.