Sentence completion
A sentence with one or two blanks. The answer is the one that makes the whole sentence logical, and the linking words point to it.
A sentence with one or two blanks. The answer is the one that makes the whole sentence logical, and the linking words point to it.
Method
- Read the whole sentence before the choices.
- Circle the linking word and decide which way the meaning goes (table below).
- Predict your own word, then pick the closest choice.
- Reread the sentence with your answer to check.
Linking words and what they signal
| Type | Words | Effect on the blank |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | but, despite, although, however, whereas | Opposite of what came before |
| Cause & effect | because, so, therefore, due to, led to | A logical result |
| Addition | and, also, moreover, as well as | Same direction |
| Explanation | that is, meaning | A synonym of what came before |
- Signal words: “but, although, while, however” → the meaning turns; “so, because, also, indeed” → it keeps going the same way.
Sentence-completion patterns
One blank, by meaning
Find a word in the sentence that explains the blank.
Contrast sentence
After “despite/but” comes the opposite idea.
Two blanks
Solve the easier blank first and eliminate every choice that fails it.
Proverbs and sayings
Many sentences are well-known proverbs; memorise the common ones (next table).
Sayings that come up, memorise them
| Saying | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Learning in childhood is like engraving on stone | What you learn young stays |
| Prevention is better than cure | Stopping a problem beats fixing it |
| Necessity is the mother of invention | Need drives creativity |
| The best speech is brief and meaningful | Brevity with clarity |
| Whoever strives succeeds; whoever plants harvests | Effort brings results |
| A friend in need is a friend indeed | True friends show up in hard times |
| Whoever is patient wins | Patience leads to success |
| You cannot harvest grapes from thorns | Bad deeds bear no good fruit |
| The fortunate learn from others’ mistakes | Learn from others’ experience |
| No one who knows their worth is ruined | Self-knowledge protects you |
- A word that is grammatically fine but does not fit the meaning.
- A choice that fits only half the sentence; read the whole sentence.
Find the linking word first: “so /; / therefore” means the blank agrees with what follows; “but / although / yet” means it is the opposite. “Everyone thought he was… but he…” means the blank is the opposite of what actually happened.