Fill in the Blanks
🔒 Log in to trackConnective and relative-pronoun blanks
🔒 Log in to trackConnective blanks join two clauses; the relation between the clauses, not the meaning of any single word, is the answer.
| Pair | Fixed shape | Trap option |
|---|---|---|
| Hardly / Scarcely ... when | Hardly had she entered when the lights went out. | than (belongs to no sooner) |
| No sooner ... than | No sooner had he sat down than... | when |
| Not only ... but also | not only cheap but also durable | but, and |
| Both ... and | Both the manager and his staff were present | as well as |
| Rather ... than | would resign rather than apologize | then |
| Too ... to | too weak to walk | so, very |
| So ... that | so weak that he could not walk | too |
| Lest ... should | run fast lest you should miss it | or else |
The +/- test again: give each clause a direction. Same directions → so/therefore/and; opposite → but/yet/although; explanation → because/since; outcome → so/therefore. For fixed pairs, both halves must appear: 'Hardly had... when', 'No sooner had... than' — the trap options simply swap the partners.
Relative pronouns. The blank joining a describing clause to its noun:
- person + subject role → who (the leader who inspires);
- person + object role → whom (the leader whom everyone trusts — test by rephrasing: everyone trusts him);
- possession → whose; things → which/that;
- place → where; time → when; reason → why. The he/him substitution is foolproof: replace the pronoun's slot with he (→ who) or him (→ whom).
Concessive pairs: Although/Though pairs with yet (never but): 'Although it rained, yet the match continued' is standard formal usage; SSC accepts plain 'Although... the match continued' equally. Despite/In spite of take noun/-ing, never a full clause ('despite it rained' is wrong).
Connectives are logic blanks
The sentence is complete on both sides of the blank; the option only decides the RELATIONSHIP between the two sides — contrast, cause, time, addition, condition. Read both clauses, label their relationship in plain words (He rehearsed BUT forgot; The flights were delayed BECAUSE of fog), then pick the option that spells that label.
The correlative pairs (fixed partners)
- No sooner ... than (and it inverts: No sooner had he sat down than...).
- Hardly / Scarcely ... when.
- Both ... and; Either ... or; Neither ... nor; Not only ... but also — these come as pair-options in double blanks; the partners must travel together.
- so ... that; such ... that; as ... as; between ... and; from ... to. Mixing the partners (no sooner ... when) is a planted fault.
Relative pronouns: case, not taste
- who does the action (people); whom receives it; whose shows possession (also for buildings: a house whose roof...).
- which for things and for non-identifying clauses after a comma — that never follows a comma.
- that for identifying clauses of people or things.
- what = the thing that (no antecedent before it). Quick case test: rewrite the clause as a sentence — The engineer won the award → The engineer who won the award.
Reflexives and each other
- Reflexive: myself, themselves — the doer and receiver are the same (The children arranged the hall themselves).
- each other / one another: reciprocal action between different parties.
- Papers plant theirselves / themself — non-words — and hisself.
Contrast and cause: the commonest options
Although / Though / Even though + clause; Despite / In spite of + noun phrase (never a bare clause). Because + clause; because of / owing to / due to + noun. However needs its own sentence rhythm (semicolon or new sentence); therefore / hence / consequently draw conclusions; moreover / besides add; otherwise gives the negative consequence. Most wrong options are right words with the wrong grammar after them — although the rain (wrong) vs despite the rain (right).
Question types you will see
Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.
Correlative time frames (no sooner ... than)
The sentence already opens with No sooner had / Hardly had / Scarcely had and the blank is the second partner; options are than, when, then, that.
Read the first partner: no sooner → than; hardly/scarcely → when.
Reject then (a time adverb, not a correlative) and that (a statement connector).
Confirm the frame's tense pairing — past perfect first clause, simple past second.
Why it works: the partners are frozen; every other option is a look-alike connector from a different frame.
No sooner had the bell rung ___ the students rushed out.
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than — the partner of no sooner is always than; 'when' belongs to hardly/scarcely.
Relative pronoun by case
The blank joins a noun to a clause; options are who / whom / whose / which / that.
Find the antecedent (person or thing) and the pronoun's job inside the clause.
Subject of the clause → who (people) / which (things); object → whom; possession → whose.
After a comma, only which/who survive — that is banned in non-identifying clauses.
Why it works: rewriting the clause as a standalone sentence exposes the pronoun's case in seconds.
The engineer ___ designed the bridge won a national award.
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who — the pronoun is the subject of 'designed'; whom would need an object role, whose needs possession.
Contrast and cause connectives
Two complete clauses stand on either side of the blank; the options are although / because / therefore / however type connectors.
Label the relationship: the second clause contradicts → contrast; explains → cause; concludes → result.
Contrast + clause → although/though; cause → because; conclusion → therefore/thus.
Check the grammar after the option: despite/in spite of demand a noun phrase, not a clause.
Why it works: the logic label is unambiguous once both clauses are read; the options are one connector per relationship.
___ he had rehearsed for weeks, he forgot his lines on stage.
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Although — the second clause contradicts the first; Because would give cause and ruin the sense.
Possessive and reflexive pronouns
Options are whose / who's, themselves / theirselves, its / it's — form-pairs differing by an apostrophe or a suffix.
Possession before a noun → whose (the possessive has no apostrophe); who's = who is.
Same doer and receiver → reflexive: themselves, myself (never theirselves/hisself).
its = possession; it's = it is — expand and test.
Why it works: the apostrophe pairs are sound-alikes; expanding them (who is, it is) settles the case mechanically.
The athlete, ___ dedication is legendary, trains at dawn.
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whose — the clause possesses the dedication; who's would mean 'who is dedication', which is meaningless.
despite / although grammar match
The blank introduces a contrasting element; the giveaway is what FOLLOWS the blank — a noun phrase or a full clause with a verb.
Noun phrase / V-ing after the blank → despite or in spite of.
Full clause (subject + verb) → although / though / even though.
Never mix: 'despite it rained' and 'although the rain' are the two planted hybrids.
Why it works: the two contrast families differ only in the grammar they demand, which makes the following words decisive.
___ the heavy downpour, the match went on.
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Despite — a noun phrase follows; Although would need a clause ('although it rained heavily').
Shortcuts that save time
Search the sentence for the other half of the pair. Seeing 'Hardly had' fixes the blank to when; seeing 'No sooner' fixes it to than. Zero deliberation needed.
Hardly had she entered the room ___ the lights went out.
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'Hardly had...' → partner when. Than belongs to 'No sooner'.
Rephrase the clause with he/him: 'everyone trusts (him)' → whom; '(he) inspires everyone' → who. No ambiguity survives the substitution.
Full clause after the blank → Although/Though; noun or -ing → Despite/In spite of. The trap options swap these two families.
Mistakes to avoid
Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.
Choosing 'than' after 'Hardly/Scarcely' because 'comparison' instinct fires.
Using 'whom' as a clause subject ('the man whom came') — case is decided by the clause role, not by prestige.
Joining a full clause with 'despite' or a bare noun with 'although'.
Selecting 'which' for a person or 'who' for a thing under time pressure.
Quick revision
Read this the night before the exam.
Label the relationship first: contrast, cause, time, addition, condition.
Fixed pairs: no sooner...than; hardly...when; both...and; neither...nor; not only...but also.
who acts, whom receives, whose possesses; which after a comma, never that.
despite / in spite of + noun; although / though + clause.
themselves (not theirselves); each other for mutual action.
Practice: 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 6 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.