Grammar question: why is (b) the correct answer?

Question

So you were a porter before you ... a businessman.

a) used to be

b) were

c) have been

Answer 1

I'm not sure, but B is definitely the answer I would have gone for. It flows a lot nicer.  

Answer 2

a and b do not make sense.

Answer 3

a) the answer makes the sentence sound like it was explain that "he use to be" twice in the sentence, we have already noticed that the "were" in the begining of the sentence is past tense.

c) not proper english when you say it out loud.

these kinds of questions in english are really simple, just cover the answer before you look at them and read the sentence yourself and put the word you think is right in the blank then see if your answer is a choice to pick from, other than that say each choice in the blank outloud and you can most likely tell which answers sound weird and which one sounds better.

Answer 4

i think c is the correct one...oh well..if it is b..i think it makes the sentence complete or express a complete thought

Answer 5

omg its basic english.

so you were a porter before you were a businessman.

where are these people from?

Answer 6

because it sounds better.

have been kind of implies that you still are i think

used to be kind of implies that you are not anymore

neither of these things were stated so it has to be were.

Answer 7

Because it's a past tense.

u were a porter before u were a businessman.

the were is already in the front sentence.

Answer 8

in this sentence you ARE a businessman (currently a businessman ie. present tense)

but before that you WERE (in the past) a porter

a) used to be (past tense - you "used to be" a businessman)

b) CORRECT (makes sense)

c) doesn't make sense

i know this may sound confusing but you will get used to it. just give it a bit of time and practise. that's how i became better at it

=]  

Answer 9

Sequence of tenses.

Answer 10

(b) is the correct answer because if you use *were*, the sentence makes sense.

So you were a porter before you were a businessman OR So you were a porter before you became a businessman.

Answer 11

makes most sense put them together

So you were a porter before you used to be a businessman.

So you were a porter before you were a businessman.

So you were a porter before you have been a businessman.

Answer 12

sentence agreement

Answer 13

Basic Rule: A linking verb links the subject with a noun, a pronoun, or adjective. A linking verb must agree with its subject in number - plural or singular. If the subject is singular, the linking verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the linking verb must be plural. Four commonly misued linking verbs are is,are,was and were. Singular linking verbs are is and was. Plural linking verbs are are and were. The subject you always takes the plural form in subject/verb agreement.

Answer 14

"were" is past tense of "to be" that fits with "you".  You WERE a porter. You WERE a businessman. So, you connect the two clauses - "You WERE a porter before you WERE a businessman."  The word "before" connects the two clauses, but the verb WERE doesn't change.

Using the phrase "Used to be" implies that you are no longer a businessman. But if you use "were", you could still be a businessman now. It also doesn't agree with the verb in the first clause.

Using the phrase "have been" implies that you are a businessman on-and-off, occasionally. It also does not agree with the verb in the first clause.