Main Types of Sentence Completion

The Guidelines for Completion of Sentence

Knowing the Rules for Sentence Completion is essential because studying this particular aspect of grammar assesses one’s ability to read information presented in the form of an unfinished phrase and then select the appropriate words or sentences with which to finish the sentence.

Its purpose is to evaluate a student’s vocabulary as well as their ability to reason in relation to a contextual statement.

In most cases, the concepts of sentence completion and word completion are included together under the umbrella subject of grammar.

Let’s have a look at the different types of sentence completions before we get started with the primary rules for this game:

There are about four different kinds of sentence/word completions, and they are as follows:

Restatement:

These are the words that we use to emphasise how important the first clause is or to provide additional information in addition to the facts that have already been revealed.

Example:

To put it another way, in point of fact, the thing is, etc.

Question:

The boy was too indolent to do anything but sit around all day,  in other words, he was ________.

a. to fall asleep

b. prompt

c. the con artist

d. lethargic

The correct response is lethargic.

Because we use the phrase “to put it another way,” this indicates that we need to choose a term that restates the description that has already been provided.

Therefore, being lethargic may be the solution.

Comparison:

The comparison between two topics in the two clauses is reflected in the choice of words that we make for this type of sentence.

Example:

likewise, and, just as, as same as, similarly etc.

Question:

Just as we pray for pardon,  so we should ______ others.

a. burden

b. forgive

c. critique

d. conspire

Answer:

Because we have used the comparison word “just as” in this instance, the second sentence needs to contain a phrase that conveys a meaning that is analogous to the one conveyed by the first clause. Therefore, we speak about “forgive.”

Contrast:

Words of this kind express a sharp and distinct contrast between two or more sentences. This category encompasses the words that reflect this contrast.

Example:

despite the fact that, despite the fact that, despite the fact that, despite the fact that, despite the fact that, despite the fact that, etc.

Question:

Her daughter is a ______ and a grouch, in contrast to her son, who is always smiling and laughing.

a. rude

b. peaceful

c. jubilant

d. informal

Answer:

The correct response here is “rude,” as we are drawing a comparison between the personalities of her son and her daughter in this passage. While the son is calm and content, the daughter is a sourpuss who always complains.

The chain of causation:

Words that belong to the Cause and Effect category are those that either provide evidence of some past action or cause, or depict a situation that has become significantly different as a result of that action.

Example:

hence, consequently, as a result of, due to, as a consequence of, etc.

Question:

Ginger prepared for the competition every day, as a result, she _______ it.

b. eliminated

c. won

d. ditched

Answer

Because ginger put in consistent effort to improve her skills, the correct response is “won” in this scenario. Her hard work paid off, and she came out on top.

Guidelines for Finishing Sentences

Let’s move on to the useful varieties of the terms used in sentence completion when we finish discussing the theoretical ones:

Type 1: Quantity-based

The quantity of blanks in a sentence is the subject of a quantity-based question.

After being separated into:

one blank two blanks or more

Type 2: Based on length

A length-based question is one that is as long as the one we are given. It is broken into two sections:

The question is only 20–35 words long and is sentence-based.

The sentence that was supplied to us was combined into a longer passage that had various holes to be filled in.

Type 3: Element-Based 

An End of Sentence A question that is element-based refers to the kind of answer we must provide to finish the clause or section.

Word-based: We must use just one word to complete each blank.

This type is phrase-based, requiring us to select a phrase to finish the sentence that has been given to us.

Sentence-based: We must fill in the blanks with a complete sentence. Most passage-based questions use this kind.

Note: Any combination of the aforementioned kinds, as well as questions with two or more types of each, are possible.

For instance:

• a single blank, phrase-based and sentence-based question

• two open-ended questions based on passages of text

These are only two of the numerous question combinations that may be used.

Conclusion 

Most competitive tests include sentence completion. The selections fill in one or two blanks in a sentence. Questions assess vocabulary and word distinctions. A good vocabulary helps. You can employ various strategies even without knowing all the options.

Strategies for Sentence Completion:

1. Read the sentence.

Read carefully for sentence clues. Words and sentence structure make questions tough. If you can’t analyse a sentence to find the best fit, you CANNOT answer the question even if you know the words. We must dissect sentences and expand our vocabulary.

2. Tips

The hints show what should go in the blanks. Change the clue, and the blank choice MUST change. Put the clue word or phrase in the blank.

3. Possibilities

Once you uncover word hints, mark them with a + (positive meaning) or – (negative meaning). These symbols signify synonyms and antonyms.

4. Grammar

But, rather, although, nonetheless, and, while, but, therefore

They show sentence structure and hint-blank relationships. They tell you which words affect the sentence’s cognitive process.

5. Visualize

Before looking at the alternatives, brainstorm fill-ins. It prevents mistakes. Eliminating words is easy if you know their KIND. A general notion is fine as a visual word.

This is better than “seeing what sounds good.” Faster and less error-prone.