How to see it
Some papers ask for the best word, or group of words, to make a line correct English. It could be from a word family: create, creative, creation. It could be a or an: an hour, a uniform. A verb form, like went or gone. Or a small word like at, in or on. Decide what kind of word is missing first. Then choose its form. Kind first, then form.
A worked example
What is missing? A verb. Now its form. Who goes to the pool? Not just the friend. My brother and his best friend: two people. So go. My brother and his best friend go to the pool every Saturday.
The common mistake: matching the form to the word next to the gap instead of the whole sentence
The trap is the word next to the gap. Friend is one person, so goes sounds right. But the friend is only half of who goes. Match the whole sentence, not the neighbour.
Try one
The girl who sits between the twins ____ my cousin.
Choose the best word to complete the line.
- Aare
- Bwere
- Cis
- Dbe
- Ebeing
Show the answerHide the answer
Right: C, is
Who is my cousin? The girl, one person. Twins sits next to the gap, and only says where she sits.