He speaks as if he ______ the theory himself, though he barely understands it.

Question

Option 1: had devised

Option 2: would devise

Option 3: will have devised

Option 4: devised

AfterBoards · Accepted Answer

**Option 1: had devised** ✅ When we use "as if" to describe something **not true**, referring to a time before the present moment, we use the **past perfect tense** (had + past participle). He didn't actually devise (create/invent) the theory, but he talks like he did. *Pattern:* "as if" + past perfect → for unreal past situations. *Example:* "She talks as if she had visited Paris" (but she never went there). **Why not the others?** **Option 2: would devise** → This suggests something that might happen in the future or a willingness to do something. But the sentence is about him pretending he *already* came up with the theory, not about something he'd do later. **Option 3: will have devised** → This is future perfect tense, talking about something completed at a future point. The sentence isn't about the future — it's about how he speaks now as if something happened in the past. **Option 4: devised** → Simple past might sound okay, but after "as if," when describing an unreal situation connected to a time *before* the main verb ("speaks"), we go one step further back in time using the past perfect ("had devised"), not just simple past. Hence, **Option 1: had devised** is the correct answer.

He speaks as if he ______ the theory himself, though he barely understands it.

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