📚 English — English Language and Competitive English
7. Fill Blanks
Exam-oriented Fill Blanks notes, rules and revision facts
Quick Reference
Common Fill-in-the-Blank Categories and Solving Clues
7. Fill Blanks
| Blank Category | Rule/Clue | Example |
|---|---|---|
Prepositional blank | उत्तर देखें Governed by preceding verb or adjective | उत्तर देखें Abstain requires from |
Conjunction blank | उत्तर देखें Expresses logical link or contrast between clauses | उत्तर देखें Contrasting ideas take although |
Collocation blank | उत्तर देखें Habitual natural partnership of English words | उत्तर देखें Make paired with mistake |
Tense marker blank | उत्तर देखें Time adverbial establishing chronological frame | उत्तर देखें Since 2010 takes present perfect |
Article blank | उत्तर देखें Phonetic sound and definiteness of following noun | उत्तर देखें Honest preceded by an |
Subject-verb agreement blank | उत्तर देखें Number and person of grammatical subject | उत्तर देखें Each of the boys takes has |
Relative pronoun blank | उत्तर देखें Human versus non-human antecedent reference | उत्तर देखें Person takes who; thing takes which |
Phrasal verb blank | उत्तर देखें Prepositional particle determining idiomatic action | उत्तर देखें Put paired with off for postpone |
Modal auxiliary blank | उत्तर देखें Expresses necessity, obligation, or possibility | उत्तर देखें Moral duty takes ought to |
Degree of comparison blank | उत्तर देखें Marker than indicates comparative form | उत्तर देखें Higher followed by than |
Quantifier blank | उत्तर देखें Noun countability dictates word choice | उत्तर देखें Few for countable; little for uncountable |
Correlative connector blank | उत्तर देखें First connector demands matching partner | उत्तर देखें Hardly paired with when |
Quick Reference
Commonly Tested Grammar-Based Blank Patterns
7. Fill Blanks
| Blank Category | Rule/Clue | Example |
|---|---|---|
Causative Verb Blank | उत्तर देखें Make takes bare infinitive in active voice | उत्तर देखें He made me laugh |
Subjunctive Were Blank | उत्तर देखें Hypothetical unreal wish uses were across all persons | उत्तर देखें I wish I were rich |
Inverted Third Conditional | उत्तर देखें Had opening conditional takes would have + V3 in main | उत्तर देखें Had he known, he would have come |
Infinitive vs Gerund Blank | उत्तर देखें Prepositional phrases like look forward to take V-ing | उत्तर देखें Look forward to meeting you |
Adjective vs Adverb Blank | उत्तर देखें Verbs of sensation take predicate adjectives | उत्तर देखें The food smells delicious |
Parenthetical Subject Blank | उत्तर देखें As well as links back to first subject | उत्तर देखें He as well as they was present |
Negative Conjunction Blank | उत्तर देखें Lest governs should without negative word | उत्तर देखें Run lest you should fail |
Double Comparative Prevention | उत्तर देखें Avoid combining more with comparative suffix -er | उत्तर देखें Much better, not more better |
Stative Verb Restriction | उत्तर देखें Stative verbs avoid progressive continuous forms | उत्तर देखें She understands the concept |
One of the Plural Blank | उत्तर देखें One of the takes plural noun and singular verb | उत्तर देखें One of my friends is coming |
Concept, Core Strategy & Elimination Techniques
Primary objective of fill-in-the-blank questions
Evaluate grammar, vocabulary, and contextual logic.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
First step before choosing an answer for a blank
Read the entire sentence completely.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Role of identifying the sentence tone
Determines positive or negative polarity.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Elimination technique rule for parts of speech
Discard words matching wrong syntactic slot.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
How to handle blanks with multiple similar synonyms
Examine governing prepositions and collocations.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Significance of the word immediately following the blank
Reveals required preposition or noun form.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Significance of the word immediately preceding the blank
Reveals required part of speech.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Role of transition words like however or although
Signals contrasting meaning in blank.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Role of transition words like therefore or thus
Signals cause-effect consequence in blank.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Role of transition words like furthermore or moreover
Signals additive supportive information.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Strategy for double-blank questions in exams
Test easier blank first to eliminate options.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Risk of selecting an option based purely on sound
Colloquial speech often hides grammatical errors.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Why verifying subject-verb agreement is essential
Prevents selecting mismatched singular/plural verbs.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Final step after selecting the option
Reread sentence to verify natural flow.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Definition of contextual clue in fill-in-the-blanks
Surrounding words hinting at missing idea.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Role of root words and affixes in vocabulary blanks
Deduces meanings of unfamiliar options.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Handling options with differing grammatical inflections
Identify target tense or participle form.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Significance of punctuation marks around a blank
Marks clause boundaries and parenthetical phrases.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Trap of attractive but out-of-context vocabulary
Impressive words may clash with sentence meaning.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Ultimate goal when solving fill-in-the-blank questions
Achieve grammatically sound and logically coherent sentence.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Grammar-Based Blanks: Tenses, Modals & Agreement
Verb form required in blank after has, have, had
Past participle (V3).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form required in blank after modal auxiliaries
Base form of verb (V1).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb required in blank: Each of the candidates ___ registered
Has (singular verb).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb required in blank: Neither of the two plans ___ viable
Is or was (singular verb).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb required in blank: Bread and butter ___ wholesome food
Is (singular unified concept).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb required in blank: Time and tide ___ for none
Wait (traditional plural usage).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb required in blank: The leader as well as his aides ___ arrived
Has arrived (agrees with leader).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb required in blank: Either he or his friends ___ mistaken
Are or were (nearest subject).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb required in blank: A number of students ___ passed
Have (takes plural verb).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb required in blank: The number of applicants ___ fifty
Is or was (takes singular verb).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb tense in blank: He ___ here since 2018
Has lived or has been living.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb tense in blank: I ___ the letter yesterday
Posted or sent (simple past).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: The train ___ before we reached the station
Had departed (past perfect).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: If he ___ hard, he will succeed
Works (simple present in if-clause).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: If I ___ a king, I would help everyone
Were (subjunctive were).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: Had he informed me, I ___ him
Would have helped.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: The teacher made the student ___ the exercise
Repeat (bare infinitive after make).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: He let me ___ the room
Leave (bare infinitive after let).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: She is looking forward to ___ you
Meeting (gerund after look forward to).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: He is addicted to ___ online games
Playing (gerund after addicted to).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: You had better ___ a doctor immediately
Consult (bare infinitive after had better).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Modal verb in blank: Walk fast lest you ___ miss the bus
Should (lest governs should).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Modal verb in blank: We ___ to respect our national flag
Ought (paired with to).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: It is high time we ___ for home
Left (simple past after it is high time).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb form in blank: It is time to ___
Leave (base verb with to-infinitive).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Articles, Pronouns & Quantifier Blanks
Article required in blank: He is ___ honest civil servant
An (silent h, vowel sound).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Article required in blank: Copper is ___ useful metal
A (initial /juː/ consonant sound).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Article required in blank: She graduated from ___ European university
A (consonant sound /juː/).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Article required in blank: He is ___ MBA graduate
An (initial /em/ vowel sound).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Article required in blank: Mount Everest is ___ highest peak
The (superlative degree).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Article required in blank: The higher you climb, ___ cooler it gets
The (parallel comparative structure).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Article required in blank: He is ___ taller of the two boys
The (comparative with of the two).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Article required in blank: He plays ___ flute melodiously
The (musical instrument).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Quantifier in blank: I have ___ hope of his recovery (almost none)
Little (negative meaning, uncountable).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Quantifier in blank: A ___ knowledge is a dangerous thing
Little (positive small amount).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Quantifier in blank: ___ friends he had deserted him in trouble
The few (all that were available).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Quantifier in blank: There are ___ books on the table (a small number)
A few (countable positive).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Quantifier in blank: How ___ sugar do you need?
Much (uncountable noun).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Quantifier in blank: How ___ candidates attended the interview?
Many (plural countable noun).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Pronoun required in blank: One must do ___ duty sincerely
One's (not his).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Pronoun required in blank: The man ___ stole the purse was arrested
Who (subject relative pronoun).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Pronoun required in blank: This is the woman ___ we met yesterday
Whom (object relative pronoun).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Pronoun required in blank: All that glitters ___ not gold
Is (proverbial relative construction).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Pronoun required in blank: This is the same book ___ I bought
That (used after the same).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Pronoun order in blank: ___ must share the prize (you, he, I)
You, he, and I (order 2-3-1).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Pronoun order in blank: ___ are responsible for the blunder
I, you, and he (order 1-2-3 for guilt).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Case of pronoun in blank: There is no dispute between you and ___
Me (objective case after preposition).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Case of pronoun in blank: Let you and ___ solve this issue
Me (objective case after let).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Pronoun in blank: The two brothers helped ___ in business
Each other (two entities).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Pronoun in blank: The three partners supported ___
One another (more than two entities).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Prepositions & Fixed Phrase Blanks
Preposition in blank: He abstained ___ speaking ill of others
From.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: You must refrain ___ smoking here
From.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: She adheres strictly ___ her principles
To.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: Regular exercise is conducive ___ good health
To.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: He was accused ___ theft by the police
Of.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: The judge acquitted the prisoner ___ all charges
Of.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: She was deprived ___ her legal inheritance
Of.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: He congratulated his friend ___ his success
On.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: She insisted ___ paying the restaurant bill
On.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: He died ___ malaria after falling ill
Of (disease cause).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: The traveler died ___ hunger and exhaustion
From (non-disease cause).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: He is senior ___ all officers in this branch
To (Latin comparative).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: This fabric is superior ___ that one
To.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: Coffee is preferable ___ cold tea
To.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: She is exceptionally good ___ mathematics
At.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: The officer was blind ___ his son's faults
To (metaphorical blindness).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: The beggar was blind ___ the left eye
In or of (physical blindness).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: She could not cope ___ the heavy workload
With (cope with, never cope up).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: He agreed ___ my proposal without hesitation
To (agree to a proposal).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: She agreed ___ me on that contentious point
With (agree with a person).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: The committee complies ___ the statutory guidelines
With.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: He was prevented ___ leaving the premises
From.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: Divide the sweets ___ the five children
Among (more than two).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: The meeting is scheduled ___ 2 PM and 4 PM
Between (paired with and).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Preposition in blank: The clinic is open ___ 9 AM to 5 PM
From (paired with to).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Collocations, Phrasal Verbs & Vocabulary Blanks
Verb in blank: We should not ___ a mistake in calculations
Make (make a mistake).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb in blank: Students must ___ their homework diligently
Do (do homework).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb in blank: The scientists ___ extensive research
Conducted or carried out.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb in blank: Please ___ attention to the instructions
Pay (pay attention).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Verb in blank: Citizens must ___ their votes responsibly
Cast (cast a vote).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Adjective in blank: The city experienced ___ traffic during peak hours
Heavy (heavy traffic).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Adjective in blank: He is a ___ smoker and needs medical help
Heavy (heavy smoker).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Phrasal verb in blank: The match was ___ due to relentless rain
Called off (cancelled).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Phrasal verb in blank: Never ___ until tomorrow what you can do today
Put off (postpone).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Phrasal verb in blank: Firefighters fought hard to ___ the blazing fire
Put out (extinguish).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Phrasal verb in blank: I cannot ___ his insolent behavior anymore
Put up with (tolerate).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Phrasal verb in blank: The young girl ___ her grandmother in features
Takes after (resembles).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Phrasal verb in blank: We ___ on our long journey at dawn
Set out or set off.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Phrasal verb in blank: He ___ his business empire with determination
Built up.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Word choice in blank: Heavy rains ___ the harvest severely (affect/effect)
Affected (verb meaning impacted).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Word choice in blank: The new policy had a positive ___ on exports
Effect (noun meaning result).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Word choice in blank: All applicants were selected ___ two candidates
Except (excluding).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Word choice in blank: The school ___ addressed the morning assembly
Principal (head of school).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Word choice in blank: He is a man of uncompromising ___
Principles (moral rules).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Word choice in blank: I purchased notebooks from the ___ shop
Stationery (writing materials).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Word choice in blank: The car remained ___ with the handbrake engaged
Stationary (motionless).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Vocabulary blank: Due to severe drought, there was a ___ of grains
Dearth or paucity (scarcity).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Vocabulary blank: His ___ nature made him popular among social circles
Gregarious or affable (sociable).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Vocabulary blank: The hermit chose to live an ___ and frugal life
Ascetic (austere).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Vocabulary blank: The politician made an ___ statement to avoid commitment
Ambiguous or equivocal.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunctions, Correlatives & Common Exam Traps
Conjunction in blank: ___ had he entered the hall when lights failed
Hardly or Scarcely.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: Hardly had the train stopped ___ crowds rushed in
When (not than).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: No sooner did the bell ring ___ the students ran
Than (not then/when).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: No sooner had he finished ___ he departed
Than.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: He is not only knowledgeable ___ extremely humble
But also.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: ___ you apologize, you will face disciplinary action
Unless (meaning if not).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: Wait in the lounge ___ the doctor calls your name
Until (time limit).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: Although he is impoverished, ___ he is deeply honest
Yet (or comma, never but).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: The reason why he resigned is ___ he was ill
That (not because).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: He had no other choice ___ to surrender unconditionally
Than (paired with other).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: It was nothing else ___ pure foolishness
But (paired with else).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: He cannot run fast ___ he is injured
Because or as (causality).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Conjunction in blank: She worked tirelessly ___ her brother relaxed
While or whereas (contrast).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Trap in: He could not avoid ___ the truth (speak/speaking)
Speaking (avoid takes gerund).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Trap in: Would you mind ___ the window? (open/opening)
Opening (mind takes gerund).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Trap in: It is no use ___ over split milk (cry/crying)
Crying (it is no use takes gerund).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Trap in: He is accustomed to ___ late nights (work/working)
Working (accustomed to takes gerund).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Trap in: With a view to ___ the underprivileged (help/helping)
Helping (with a view to takes gerund).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Trap in: She is capable ___ doing this complex task (to/of)
Of (capable of, but able to).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Trap in: He is confident ___ winning the championship (of/to)
Of (confident of winning).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Word in blank: The climate of Pune is better than ___ of Mumbai
That (singular attribute comparison).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Word in blank: The roads of Jaipur are wider than ___ of Agra
Those (plural attribute comparison).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Adverb in blank: He was ___ tired that he slept immediately
So (so...that construction).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Adjective in blank: It was ___ an interesting book that I read it twice
Such (such...that construction).
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
Core rule for mastering fill-in-the-blank questions in exams
Master grammar syntax, fixed prepositions, and collocations.
उत्तर देखने के लिए टैप करें
कोई matching content नहीं मिला।