Choose the Correct Word or Phrase to Complete the Sentences – Rules, Examples & Exercises

Sentence completion exercises give you a sentence with a gap and ask you to fill it with the right word or phrase. Learning to choose the correct word or phrase is one of the quickest ways to strengthen English grammar, grow vocabulary and write with confidence. Whether you are doing fill in the blanks with correct words for a school test or working through sentence completion questions with answers at home, the skill is the same: read the clues in the sentence and match them to the best option.

This guide covers the rules, worked examples, practice sets for Classes 1–10 and answer keys with explanations.

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What Does Choose the Correct Word or Phrase Mean?

In a sentence completion question, one part of the sentence is missing. You pick the option that is both grammatically correct and meaningful in context. A word is a single unit, such as reads. A phrase is a group of words that work together, such as turn off or looking forward to.

She ___ a book every night. (read / reads) → reads: a singular subject and a habit.
We went ___ the park. (to / at) → to: went shows movement towards a place.
He ran ___ because he was late. (quick / quickly) → quickly: an adverb describes the verb.
Please ___ the lights when you leave. (turn off / turn at) → turn off: a fixed phrase.

With a single word you usually check its form (singular or plural, present or past). With a phrase you also check that the words belong together: we say look after a baby, not look at after a baby.

How to Choose the Correct Word or Phrase in Context

Read the complete sentence carefully.
Understand its meaning.
Identify the grammatical role of the missing word.
Look for clues: tense, subject and surrounding words.
Compare the options.
Eliminate incorrect choices.
Read the completed sentence again.

Worked examples

The children ___ in the garden yesterday. (play / played / playing) → played. Yesterday signals the past; playing would need were.
Each of the students ___ a pencil. (has / have) → has. Each means one at a time, so the verb is singular.
She was tired, ___ she still finished her homework. (but / so / because) → but. Still signals contrast.
We were late ___ the heavy traffic. (because of / because / although) → because of. A noun phrase follows, while because needs a full clause.
I am looking forward to ___ you. (see / seeing / saw) → seeing. In look forward to, the word to is a preposition, so an -ing form follows.

Which Word or Phrase Fits Here? Understanding Sentence Clues

Clue	What to check	Example
Subject–verb agreement	Singular subject, singular verb	The dog barks. The dogs bark.
Verb tense	Time words such as yesterday, since, tomorrow	We visited my aunt last Sunday.
Singular and plural nouns	Number words such as two, many	There are many books.
Articles	A before consonant sounds, an before vowel sounds	She is an artist.
Prepositions	Time, place, direction, fixed pairs	The class begins at 9 a.m.
Pronouns	Subject, object or possessive form	Give the book to her.
Adjectives and adverbs	Adjective for nouns, adverb for verbs	She drives carefully.
Conjunctions	Addition, contrast, reason, condition	I like tea, but he prefers juice.
Vocabulary meaning	The words around the gap	It was so dark that we used a torch.
Word combinations	Words that usually go together	We make a mistake; we do homework.

Choose the Best Word or Phrase to Complete the Sentence

Sometimes several options look possible. Check grammar first and meaning second.

Only one option is grammatical: She ___ to the market. (go / goes) → goes.
Several are grammatical, one fits the meaning: The weather was ___, so we cancelled the picnic. (stormy / sunny / warm) → stormy.
A phrase fits better than a word: Could you ___ the radio? It is too loud. (turn down / turn) → turn down.
Context decides: Anita wore a coat because it was ___ (cold / hot) → cold. Anita wore a light dress because it was ___ → hot.

Incomplete sentence	Options	Answer	Why
There ___ many books on the shelf.	is / are / am	are	Books is plural.
I have lived here ___ 2019.	for / since / from	since	Since marks a starting point.
He is ___ honest man.	a / an / some	an	Honest starts with a vowel sound.
If it rains tomorrow, we ___ indoors.	will play / would play / played	will play	Real future condition.
She speaks English very ___.	good / well / best	well	An adverb describes speaks.
The teacher gave ___ some homework.	we / us / our	us	An object pronoun follows gave.
Let me ___ this word in the dictionary.	look up / look after / look out	look up	It means to search for information.
We cannot play outside; it is ___ heavily.	rain / raining / rains	raining	Is needs an -ing form.

Choose the Correct Word to Complete the Sentence – Practice for Classes 1–5

Try all ten questions, then check the answer key below.

I saw ___ owl in the tree. — A) a B) an C) two D) many
The sun ___ in the east. — A) rise B) rises C) rising D) risen
There are five ___ in the garden. — A) bird B) birds C) a bird D) bird’s
A ___ gives us milk. — A) cow B) shoe C) pen D) door
Riya ___ her homework yesterday. — A) do B) does C) did D) doing
Tom and Sam ___ best friends. — A) is B) am C) are D) be
The baby is ___ because she is hungry. — A) cry B) crying C) cries D) cried
An elephant is ___ than a mouse. — A) big B) bigger C) biggest D) more big
We have lived in this town ___ five years. — A) since B) for C) from D) at
Each of the girls ___ a prize. — A) get B) gets C) have D) are getting

Choose the Correct Phrase to Complete the Sentence – 10 Exercises

Please ___ your shoes before you enter. — A) take off B) take in C) take up D) take at
I am looking forward ___ you at the party. — A) to see B) to seeing C) for seeing D) at seeing
Anil knew the poem ___. — A) by heart B) with heart C) on heart D) in heart
She is afraid ___ spiders. — A) of B) at C) on D) by
We stayed home ___ the heavy rain. — A) because of B) because C) in spite D) so
He apologised ___ breaking the vase. — A) for B) to C) at D) with
Before the exam, my friend said, “___!” — A) Good luck B) Good night C) Good morning D) Good bye
After the rain stopped, we ___. — A) went out to play B) goes out to play C) going out to play D) go out to play
Our teacher always ___ our problems. — A) listens to B) listens at C) listens on D) listens with
Please hand in your homework ___ Friday. — A) by B) at C) of D) to

Select the Correct Word or Phrase – Important Grammar Rules

Rule	Simple explanation	Example
Articles (a, an, the)	A and an introduce one unspecified thing; the names a specific one.	She bought a pen and an eraser. The pen is mine.
Subject–verb agreement	The verb matches the subject in number.	The bird sings. The birds sing.
Tenses	Tenses show when an action happens.	She walks / walked / will walk to school.
Prepositions	They show place, time or direction; many form fixed pairs.	Interested in music; meet on Monday.
Pronouns	Pick the subject, object or possessive form.	They invited me to their house.
Adjectives and adverbs	Adjectives describe nouns; adverbs describe verbs.	a quiet girl; speaks quietly
Conjunctions	They join ideas: and, but, because, so, or, if, unless.	I wanted ice cream, but the shop was closed.
Singular and plural nouns	Most add -s; some change form.	book → books; child → children; sheep → sheep
Modal verbs	Can, may, must, should, will take the base verb.	You should drink more water.
Commonly confused words	Check meaning in context.	Its tail / It’s raining; affect (verb) / effect (noun); than / then

Sentence Completion Exercises for Classes 6–10

By the time we reached the station, the train ___. — A) left B) has left C) had left D) leaves
She ___ in this school since 2018. — A) teaches B) has been teaching C) taught D) is teaching
If she had studied harder, she ___ the exam. — A) would pass B) will pass C) would have passed D) passes
___ he was ill, he attended the meeting. — A) Because B) Although C) Unless D) So
Neither the teacher nor the students ___ aware of the change. — A) was B) is C) were D) has been
He is not only intelligent ___ also hardworking. — A) and B) but C) or D) so
I will call you as soon as I ___ home. — A) reach B) will reach C) reached D) am reaching
You ___ have told me earlier! Now it is too late. — A) should B) must C) will D) can
The teacher praised Maya for her ___ in solving the puzzle so quickly. — A) ingenuity B) ignorance C) hesitation D) clumsiness
The principal, along with the teachers, ___ attending the ceremony. — A) are B) were C) is D) have been

Common Mistakes When Choosing the Correct Word or Phrase

Mistake	Wrong	Right	Reason
Not reading the whole sentence	The boys play football when it began to rain.	The boys were playing football when it began to rain.	The clause shows a past action in progress.
Ignoring agreement	The list of items are long.	The list of items is long.	The subject is list.
Wrong tense	She go to the zoo last week.	She went to the zoo last week.	Last week means past.
Wrong preposition	He is good in swimming.	He is good at swimming.	Good at is the fixed pair.
Familiar but wrong word	We make homework daily.	We do homework daily.	Do homework is the usual combination.
Adjective for adverb	She sings beautiful.	She sings beautifully.	An adverb describes sings.

Easy Tricks to Choose the Correct Word or Phrase Quickly

These habits help many learners, but none guarantees a correct answer, so always check the meaning too.

Read the sentence twice. A late clue such as yesterday is easy to miss.
Find the subject and main verb. In “The box of toys ___ on the floor,” the subject is box, so use is.
Look for time words. Since, for and tomorrow point to tenses.
Check singular and plural. A few books needs a plural noun.
Understand the meaning first. “She was ___ after the long run” suggests tired.
Eliminate wrong options. For “He ___ to school daily” (go / goes / going), remove going first.
Check word combinations. We take a photo and make a decision.
Read it aloud. Awkward sentences often sound wrong before you can explain why.

Fun Activities and Benefits of Practice

Five quick activities: Sentence Completion Bingo (cover the right word on a card), Word Matching Challenge (match sentence halves and phrases), Grammar Detective (underline the clue words), Missing Word Race (teams fill gaps and explain why), and Sentence Building Game (build sentences from word cards). All need only paper, cards or a board.

Why practise? Sentence completion builds grammar accuracy, vocabulary, reading comprehension, sentence construction, writing skills, communication and confidence, and it matches the fill-in-the-blank format of many school tests.

Answer Keys with Explanations

Classes 1–5: 1 B (owl starts with a vowel sound) · 2 B (singular subject) · 3 B (five needs a plural) · 4 A (a cow gives milk) · 5 C (yesterday means past) · 6 C (plural subject) · 7 B (is needs -ing) · 8 B (than signals comparison) · 9 B (for with a period of time) · 10 B (each is singular)

Phrases: 1 A (take off shoes) · 2 B (look forward to + -ing) · 3 A (by heart means from memory) · 4 A (afraid of) · 5 A (because of + noun phrase) · 6 A (apologise for) · 7 A (said before an exam) · 8 A (past tense matches stopped) · 9 A (listen to) · 10 A (by Friday means no later than Friday)

Classes 6–10: 1 C (past perfect shows the earlier action) · 2 B (since needs a perfect tense) · 3 C (third conditional) · 4 B (contrast) · 5 C (neither… nor agrees with the nearer subject, students) · 6 B (not only… but also) · 7 A (present tense after as soon as for the future) · 8 A (should have criticises a past action) · 9 A (ingenuity means cleverness) · 10 C (the subject is principal, which is singular)

Conclusion

Choosing the right word or phrase grows with practice. Grammar shows which options are possible, vocabulary supplies the meaning, and context makes the final choice. Use the seven steps, the clue table and the common mistakes list, and try one practice set a day with the answer key. Steady practice makes selection quicker and your reading, speaking and writing clearer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does choose the correct word or phrase mean?

It means selecting the option that completes a sentence correctly in both grammar and meaning, using clues such as tense, number and context.

How can I identify the correct phrase?

Look at the words before and after the gap. Many phrases are fixed pairs, such as afraid of or look after, so learn them in full sentences.

What is a sentence completion exercise?

A question where part of a sentence is missing and the learner fills it in, practising grammar, vocabulary and context together.

How does context help?

Context is the meaning of the surrounding sentence. It tells you which grammatical option also fits the situation: cold suits a coat, hot suits a light dress.