Take a look at the sentence again:
Chauncey would have __________ some of the squid eyeball stew if a long,
gray tentacle hadn't dangled over the side of the bowl.
The sentence requires the past participle of eat, an irregular verb. Eaten is the past participle.
| Verb | Simple Present | Simple Past | Past Participle |
| eat | eat(s) | ate | eaten |
Ate, the form you chose, illegally combines the simple past with the auxiliary verbs would have. Before you continue, review the rules for irregular verbs.
Go back to the sentence to try again.