In the question below, a statement with a highlighted phrase is given. Choose the most appropriate replacement from the given options which could replace the highlighted phrase to make the statement grammatically and contextually correct. If the highlighted phrase is already correct, then choose option “No replacement required” as the answer response.

The police came after the thief run away.

Correct option is D

Answer: (d) had run away
Explanation:
The sentence involves two past actions:
1. The police came (simple past).
2. The thief ran away (past perfect is required here to indicate the earlier action).
To show that "running away" happened before "the police came," the past perfect tense "had run away" is required.
Breakdown of options:
1. (a) was ran away
· Incorrect: "Was ran" is grammatically incorrect. The verb "ran" cannot follow "was."
2. (b) was running away
· Incorrect: This suggests the thief was still running when the police came, but the sentence implies the thief had already escaped.
3. (c) has run away
· Incorrect: "Has run away" is present perfect, which is inappropriate because the context is entirely in the past.
4. (d) had run away
· Correct: This is the proper past perfect tense, which clearly shows the sequence of events.
5. (e) No replacement required
· Incorrect: The original sentence is grammatically incorrect as it uses "run away" in a context where past perfect is necessary.
Corrected Sentence:
"The police came after the thief had run away."