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READING · TECHNIQUE GUIDE

Reading Fill in the Blanks

Read the grammar around the blank first. Then use word form, collocation and meaning to make the final decision.

Built from the practical recognition rules used during real PTE preparation.

RECOGNITION RULES

See the clue. Make the decision.

01

to + blank

When “to” introduces an infinitive, expect the base form of a verb.

to + base verb
EXAMPLEThe government plans to implement new regulations.
WATCH OUT“To” can also be a preposition in expressions such as “committed to”, where a noun or -ing form may follow.
02

Modal + blank

can, could, should, will, would, may, might and must normally take a base verb.

modal + base verb
EXAMPLEClimate change could cause severe consequences.
03

have / has / had + blank

Perfect constructions use a past participle after have/has/had.

have + past participle
EXAMPLEResearchers have discovered a strong link.
04

Article + blank + noun

When a blank sits between an article and a noun, test an adjective first.

a / an / the + adjective + noun
EXAMPLEThis led to a significant improvement.
05

Preposition + blank

After many prepositions, expect a noun phrase or an -ing form rather than a bare verb.

preposition + noun / gerund
EXAMPLEStudents showed interest in exploring the methodology.
06

Find the real subject

Do not let a nearby plural noun inside an “of” phrase control the verb.

head subject ↔ verb agreement
EXAMPLEThe expansion of urban areas presents serious challenges.
07

Parallel lists

Items joined by and/or usually share a grammatical pattern.

identify, analyse, and resolve
EXAMPLEThe programme aims to identify, analyse, and resolve key issues.
08

Collocation decides the survivor

If several options fit grammatically, test which word naturally partners with the surrounding words.

depend on · contribute to · responsible for
EXAMPLEThe outcome will depend on the quality of the data.
01

What to look for

  • The word immediately before and after the blank
  • The part of speech the sentence requires
  • A preposition or word partner that forms a natural collocation
  • The real subject when a phrase such as “of …” sits between subject and verb
02

Decision process

  1. Predict the missing word class before looking at the options
  2. Eliminate forms that cannot fit the grammar
  3. Check fixed or natural word partnerships
  4. Use sentence and passage meaning only after narrowing the options
03

Common traps

  • Choosing by dictionary meaning alone
  • Treating a shortcut as a universal rule without checking the sentence
  • Matching a verb to the nearest noun instead of the real subject
04

Apply it

The expansion of urban areas ___ serious challenges. “Expansion” is the head subject, so a singular verb such as “presents” fits.

Now try it on your own sentence.

Paste text into the Grammar Analyzer and map the structure before deciding what is wrong.

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