Question

Fill in the blank - I wish I had known that Harish was ill, ....

Answer 1

Step 1 — Understand the sentence structure:
The sentence is: I wish I had known that Harish was ill, ....
This is a conditional or regret expression in English grammar. The structure "I wish I had known" refers to a past unreal situation, meaning the speaker did not know about Harish being ill at that time and now regrets it.

Step 2 — Correct usage:
In such cases, the correct form after "I wish" is the past perfect tense, i.e., had known. This shows a regret about not having knowledge in the past.

Step 3 — Apply the rule:
So the correct way to complete the sentence is:
I wish I had known that Harish was ill, I had known.

Step 4 — Conclude:
The correct filling of the blank is I had known which matches the grammar of expressing past regrets.

Answer: The correct answer is I had known.

Answer 2

An alternate way to solve this is to match the sentence against the fixed grammatical template used for expressing regret about a past lack of knowledge, rather than translating it line by line.

1. Template identification: The phrase "I wish" followed by a past-time reference signals the template "I wish plus subject plus had plus past participle," reserved for regretting something that was or was not true in the past.
2. Template application: Slotting the given clause into this template, "known" is the past participle required after "had," giving "I wish I had known."
3. Checking rival forms: Alternatives such as "I wish I know" or "I wish I would know" do not fit this past-regret template, since they either describe the present or a future wish, not a regret about missed past knowledge.
4. Confirming the fit: Only the past perfect form completes the template correctly and matches the regretful tone about not knowing earlier that Harish was ill.

Matching the sentence to the standard past-regret template confirms that the past perfect form is required to complete it.

Hence, the correct answer is I had known.