Sentence Completion (Fill in the Blanks) tests your ability to choose the most appropriate word to complete a sentence based on context, grammar, vocabulary, and logical relationships. In CUET English, this topic is crucial as it evaluates your understanding of clue words, collocations, tone, and sentence structure — making it a high-yield scoring section.
1. What is Sentence Completion?
Sentence Completion (also called 'Fill in the Blanks') presents a sentence with one or two blanks. You must select the word that best completes the meaning of the sentence from the given options.
- Purpose: To test vocabulary, grammar, contextual understanding, logical reasoning, and collocation.
- Structure: A sentence with 1-2 blanks, followed by 4 options.
- Skills tested: Vocabulary knowledge, understanding of context, grammatical accuracy, and word collocation.
Important Principle: You must choose the 'best' word from the list, not just any word that fits grammatically. Even if more than one word fits the sentence grammatically, you must select the one that best expresses the meaning and suits the context.
Example:
- ''The heat was so intense that people ______ various remedies.'' → Correct answer: ''sought'' (not 'brought' or 'seek' because the sentence is in past tense and requires a verb that logically fits).
2. Understanding Sentence Structure
Before attempting sentence completion, you must understand how a sentence is constructed.
- A sentence is a group of words that makes complete sense. It has a subject, a verb, and conveys full meaning.
- A phrase is a group of words that gives a meaning when used in a sentence but cannot stand alone. e.g., ''in the morning'', ''of great beauty''.
- A clause is a group of words that forms part of a sentence and contains a subject and a predicate.
Types of Sentences:
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | One main clause, no subordinate clause | ''The people spoke about the leader's inefficiency.'' |
| Complex | One main clause + at least one subordinate clause | ''Although I passed the examination, I was not very happy.'' |
| Compound | Two or more main clauses connected by a conjunction | ''My father called me in the morning and I told him that I would meet the Principal immediately.'' |
Note: A main clause can stand by itself as a statement. A subordinate clause has a subject and predicate but needs a main clause to make a complete statement.
3. Types of Sentence Completion Questions
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Similar Ideas (Synonym) | The blank must be filled with a word that supports the same idea as the rest of the sentence. | ''Outgoing and ______ by nature, Urmila became even more gregarious at the party.'' → Answer: ''affable'' (synonym of outgoing) |
| Contrasting Ideas (Antonym) | The blank must be filled with a word that opposes the other idea in the sentence. | ''Musharraf was a great looking guy, but he hadn't taken a bath for a while; so he smelt _______.'' → Answer: ''foul'' (opposite of pleasant) |
| Cause and Effect | You are given either the cause or the effect; you must deduce the other. | ''The Health Ministry rejected the experimental medicine because the patients who used it experienced ______ effects.'' → Answer: ''toxic'' (cause of rejection) |
| Collocation | Certain words naturally go together (e.g., 'make a mistake', 'commit a crime'). | ''The state recently ______ a law banning cow slaughter.'' → Answer: ''enacted'' (law is enacted) |
| Tone / Mood | The overall feeling of the sentence determines the appropriate word. | ''He boasts that he is a man without prejudices; this ______ itself is a very great ______.'' → Answer: ''pretension; prejudice'' (negative tone) |
4. Clue Words — The Most Important Section
Clue words indicate the direction and purpose of a sentence, and help you guess what kind of word(s) may be put into the blanks. They are typically 'connecting' words that link two parts of a sentence.
1. Words of Similarity / Support: These suggest the same idea / mood / opinion is being carried on.
- and, also, furthermore, moreover, besides, in addition, as well, indeed, again, always, never, each, every, must, all, too, additionally, as well as
- Example: ''She was intelligent and ______, so everyone admired her.'' → Answer: ''hardworking'' (supports the positive idea)
- Example: ''The government has not only provided free education but also ______ free healthcare.'' → Answer: ''provided''
2. Words of Contrast / Opposition: These flip the direction of the sentence. When you see these words, the meaning of the sentence will be flipped around.
- although, however, but, nevertheless, despite, in spite of, yet, whereas, on the contrary, ironically, unfortunately, by contrast, instead, rather than, even though
- Example: ''He was rich, ______ he was unhappy.'' → Answer: ''but'' (shows contrast)
- Example: ''Although Mrs. Peters ______ an interest in the spiritual well-being of the parishioners, in actuality her concern for their welfare was so ______ as to be practically non-existent.'' → Answer: ''feigned...negligible'' (contrast is indicated by 'although' and 'in actuality')
3. Words of Cause and Effect: These show a logical relationship between the two parts.
- because, since, hence, therefore, consequently, thus, as a result, due to, in order to, was caused by
- Example: ''He studied hard; ______, he passed the exam.'' → Answer: ''therefore'' (shows result)
- Example: ''The roads were flooded ______ the heavy rainfall.'' → Answer: ''due to'' (shows cause)
4. Words of Emphasis: These stress the importance of an idea.
- in fact, certainly, of course, surely, undoubtedly, by all means
- Example: ''______, she is the best candidate for the job.'' → Answer: ''Undoubtedly''
5. Step-by-Step Strategy for Solving
- Read the entire sentence carefully: Understand the context, tone, and meaning. Do not just look at the blank in isolation.
- Identify clue words: Look for words that indicate similarity, contrast, cause-effect, or emphasis.
- Predict the answer: Before looking at the options, try to think of a word that would fit the blank.
- Eliminate obviously incorrect options: Remove choices that don't fit grammatically or semantically.
- Test each remaining option: Read the sentence with each option to see which makes the most sense.
- Check for collocation: Ensure the word naturally pairs with other words in the sentence.
- If two answers seem correct, choose the one that best fits the context and tone.
Sample Walkthrough 1:
''In temperament they were a complete contrast: the older man was quiet, courteous, and slightly______, the younger man was talkative, ______, and quite gregarious.''
- Step 1: The sentence describes a contrast between two men.
- Step 2: The word 'contrast' is a clue that the second man is opposite to the first.
- Step 3: The second blank needs a word that is opposite to 'quiet and courteous' — something like 'outgoing' or 'brash'.
- Step 4: Options — (a) reserved, brash; (b) garrulous, asocial; (c) agitated, friendly; (d) extrovert, introvert
- Step 5: Option (a) fits best — 'reserved' matches the quiet/courteous description, and 'brash' is the opposite of quiet and courteous.
- Answer: (a) reserved, brash
Sample Walkthrough 2:
''He boasts that he is a man without prejudices; this ______ itself is a very great ______.''
- Options: (a) realisation; accomplishment, (b) statement; achievement, (c) fact; concession, (d) concept; feat, (e) pretension; prejudice
- The word 'boasts' indicates a negative tone.
- 'Pretension' is negative (meaning false claim), and 'prejudice' refers back to the first part of the sentence.
- Answer: (e) pretension; prejudice
6. Special Cases and Smart Tactics
1. One Blank — Eliminate Exact Synonyms: If two options are exact synonyms, both cannot be correct — eliminate both.
- ''Mr Natwarlal is ______ for his evil deeds.'' → Options: (a) notorious, (b) famous, (c) popular, (d) emotional → Answer: (a) notorious (only negative word; 'famous' and 'popular' are positive)
2. Two Blanks — Work Through Each Pair: One word in the pair may be correct while the other is wrong. Check both words before selecting.
- ''The lawsuit was resolved after many years of ______ litigation and the defendant was ordered to pay ______.'' → Options: (a) bitter, charges; (b) acrimonious, restitution; (c) futile, salaries; (d) unnecessary, wages → Answer: (b) acrimonious, restitution ('acrimonious' = bitter, 'restitution' = returning something to rightful owner)
3. Comma Clues: A comma before and after a group of words implies that those words define or elaborate a point made prior to it.
- ''Rahul found that Bangalore's infrastructure, its transport system and electric supply, were severely inadequate.'' → 'transport system' and 'electric supply' are examples of 'infrastructure'.
4. Predict Before Looking at Options: Mentally fill in with your own words before seeing the answer choices. This helps narrow down options and save time.
- ''The heat was so intense that people ______ various remedies.'' → Your prediction: 'tried', 'sought', 'needed' → Answer: (a) sought (correct tense and meaning)
7. Collocation — Words That Go Together
Collocation refers to words that naturally pair together in English. In sentence completion, you must know which words commonly appear with others.
| Common Collocations | Example |
|---|---|
| make a mistake / commit a crime | ''He ______ a mistake in the calculation.'' → 'made' |
| enact a law / pass a law | ''The state ______ a law banning cow slaughter.'' → 'enacted' |
| pay attention / pay a price | ''You must ______ attention in class.'' → 'pay' |
| transact business / conduct business | ''The business was ______ early in the morning.'' → 'transacted' |
| practise a skill / perform an operation | ''Leander Paes ______ his serve.'' → 'practised' |
| abolish a practice / eliminate a team | ''Dowry has been ______ by law.'' → 'abolished' |
| evade taxes / circumvent a law | ''He has ______ paying his taxes for so long.'' → 'evaded' |
| erase a tape / erase memory | ''The speech was no longer available as it had been ______.'' → 'erased' |
Practice Exercise (Collocation):
Words: performed, practised, laboured, enacted, transacted
- ''The state recently ______ a law banning cow slaughter.'' → enacted (laws are enacted)
- ''In all his free time, Leander Paes ______ his serve.'' → practised (skills are practised)
- ''The business was ______ early in the morning as a power failure was expected.'' → transacted (business is transacted)
- ''Poornima ______ the operation with minimal nursing support.'' → performed (operations are performed)
- ''Shiv ______ over his assignment, despite being very ill.'' → laboured (working hard on something = labouring over it)
8. Tone and Mood Clues
Sometimes the sentence may be difficult, and you need to understand the tone or mood that is coming through and use that as a clue.
Examples of Tone:
- Positive tone — words like 'happy', 'successful', 'praiseworthy', 'admirable'.
- Negative tone — words like 'boast', 'pretension', 'deceit', 'failure', 'notorious'.
- Neutral tone — factual or objective statements.
Example:
''He boasts that he is a man without prejudices; this ______ itself is a very great ______.''
- Options: (a) realisation; accomplishment, (b) statement; achievement, (c) fact; concession, (d) concept; feat, (e) pretension; prejudice
- The word 'boasts' indicates a negative tone.
- 'Pretension' is negative (meaning false claim), and 'prejudice' refers back to the first part of the sentence.
- Answer: (e) pretension; prejudice
Example:
''Although Mrs. Peters ______ an interest in the spiritual well-being of the parishioners, in actuality her concern for their welfare was so ______ as to be practically non-existent.''
- Options: (a) manifested...exemplary, (b) simulated...profound, (c) confessed...circumstantial, (d) feigned...negligible
- 'Although' and 'in actuality' indicate contrast.
- 'Feigned' (fake) correctly begins the sentence to later reveal the low 'negligible' actual interest.
- Answer: (d) feigned...negligible
9. Structural Clues
Structural clues can be inferred by studying the way the sentence is constructed.
- Sentences that link two phrases with support words (''in addition'', ''also'') → look for synonyms.
- Sentences that show contrast or shifts in direction (''instead'', ''despite'') → look for antonyms.
- Sentences that signal a turn of events or the unexpected (''ironically'', ''surprising'') → look for words that show unexpected results.
- Sentences that show cause and effect (''because'', ''therefore'') → deduce the logical relationship.
Example:
''The military is unable to comprehend the ______ of democratic functioning.''
- Options: (a) impotent, (b) important, (c) importance, (d) importing
- 'Comprehend' requires a noun as its object.
- 'Importance' is the correct noun form.
- Answer: (c) importance
10. Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Trap: Choosing a word that fits grammatically but not contextually. Always check if the word makes logical sense in the sentence.
- Trap: Ignoring clue words. Words like 'but', 'although', 'and', 'because' are essential for understanding the relationship between parts of the sentence.
- Trap: Choosing synonyms without checking the context. Synonyms may have similar meanings but only one fits the specific context.
- Trap: Not reading the entire sentence before choosing. The second part of the sentence may give clues about the first blank.
- Trap: Confusing similar-sounding words. e.g., 'prescribe' vs 'proscribe', 'affect' vs 'effect'.
- Trap: Overlooking collocations. Certain words naturally pair together — 'make a mistake', not 'do a mistake'.
- Trap: Ignoring the tone/mood. A negative word like 'boast' indicates the sentence is unlikely to end with a positive word.
11. Practice Questions with Explanations
Directions: Choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence.
Q1. ''Having finished dinner, ___ .''
- (a) the elders retired to bed
- (b) they slept
- (c) the bed was used by the elders
- (d) a group of elders finished bed
Answer: (a) — The subject 'elders' should perform the action. 'They' in (b) has no clear antecedent. (c) and (d) are awkward/incorrect.
Q2. ''Shyam has returned ___ .''
- (a) a vehicle back to its original owner
- (b) to its original owner the vehicle
- (c) the vehicle its original owner
- (d) the vehicle to its original owner
Answer: (d) — Correct structure: 'returned the vehicle to its original owner'.
Q3. ''Some scholars stressed the study of grammar, rhetoric, ___ and poetry.''
- (a) historically
- (b) learning about history
- (c) history
- (d) studying history
Answer: (c) — Parallel structure: grammar, rhetoric, history, and poetry (all are subjects).
Q4. ''Everybody ___ a ticket should stand in line.''
- (a) who have not purchased
- (b) who has not bring
- (c) who has not purchased
- (d) who has not
Answer: (c) — 'Everybody' is singular, so 'has not purchased' is correct.
Q5. ''A number of applicants ___ interviewed.''
- (a) are already been
- (b) has already been
- (c) have been
- (d) who have been
Answer: (c) — 'A number of' takes a plural verb — 'have been'.
Q6. ''The more he shouted, ___ .''
- (a) the less he achieved
- (b) he achieved insufficiently
- (c) he did not achieve enough
- (d) he was achieving less
Answer: (a) — Correct parallel structure: 'the more... the less'.
Q7. ''Anna did not do well at all because ___ .''
- (a) she was not good studywise
- (b) she studied bad
- (c) she was a worse student
- (d) she failed to study properly
Answer: (d) — Most natural and logical completion.
Q8. ''People all over the country are starving ___ .''
- (a) great in numbers
- (b) in more numbers
- (c) more numerously
- (d) in great numbers
Answer: (d) — Correct idiom: 'in great numbers'.
Q9. ''I understand that the government is considering a new proposal ___ .''
- (a) what would clear files rapidly
- (b) who wants to clear files in a rapid manner
- (c) that would help in clearing files rapidly
- (d) to cause files cleared rapidly
Answer: (c) — 'that would help in clearing files rapidly' is the most grammatically correct and natural option.
Q10. ''The doctor insisted that the patient ___ .''
- (a) that he not work too hard
- (b) taking it easy
- (c) take it easy
- (d) take some vocations
Answer: (c) — Subjunctive mood: 'insisted that the patient take it easy'.
12. Advanced Practice Questions (Two Blanks)
Directions: Choose the pair of words that best completes the sentence.
Q1. ''Upon hearing the ___ words from him, she left the place ___ .''
- (a) wrongful ... abashed
- (b) misuse ... immediately
- (c) obnoxious ... abashed
- (d) acrimonious ... amicably
Answer: (c) — 'Obnoxious' (unpleasant) words made her leave 'abashed' (ashamed/embarrassed).
Q2. ''How can the plans of the government ___ the poor, if they are totally ___?''
- (a) educate ... illiterate
- (b) help ... impractical
- (c) benefit ... selfish
- (d) enrich ... penniless
Answer: (b) — Impractical plans cannot help the poor.
Q3. ''The ___ that 'A bird in hand is worth two in the bush' is ___ in the present context.''
- (a) metaphor ... cavil
- (b) adage ... inappropriate
- (c) talk ... evil
- (d) sentence ... anomalous
Answer: (b) — An 'adage' is an old saying; it may be 'inappropriate' in the present context.
Q4. ''The thought of a nuclear ___ sparked off by a misunderstanding poses an awesome ___ .''
- (a) device ... reverberation
- (b) holocaust ... spectre
- (c) liasion ... probability
- (d) explosion ... calamity
Answer: (b) — 'Nuclear holocaust' (great destruction) and 'spectre' (mental image of something unpleasant) fit best.
Q5. ''The rebels sought to overcome the ___ of strength of the police forces by engaging in ___ tactics.''
- (a) lack ... divisionary
- (b) augmented ... peaceful
- (c) preponderance ... guerilla
- (d) power ... foolish
Answer: (c) — 'Preponderance' means greater force/weight; rebels use 'guerilla' tactics to overcome it.
Common Mistakes
- Choosing a word that fits grammatically but changes the meaning of the sentence.
- Ignoring clue words like 'but', 'although', 'and', 'because'.
- Not reading the entire sentence before choosing — context clues are crucial.
- Confusing similar-sounding words like 'prescribe' vs 'proscribe' or 'affect' vs 'effect'.
- Overlooking collocations and common word pairs (e.g., 'make a mistake' not 'do a mistake').
- Selecting the first option that seems to fit without testing all alternatives.
- Forgetting to check the tone/mood of the sentence — positive vs negative.
- In two-blank questions, not checking both words in the pair before selecting.
- Not paying attention to grammatical clues like subject-verb agreement and parallelism.