SPI English · Fill in the Blanks
Word Choice and Collocations
A word gap is filled by the option that fits both the meaning of the sentence and the words it must sit beside.
Why this matters
Five questions in the bank, all from the sample paper: four EASY and one MODERATE. Often two options mean nearly the same thing, and only one of them is the word English uses in that phrase.
Concept 1 of 2: Fit the meaning, the feeling and the grammar
Read the whole sentence before the options. Decide what the gap must say, and whether the sentence is praising, warning or simply reporting. Then make sure the option also fits the words after the gap: some verbs need a 'to', some need 'that', some need a preposition.
Definition
Three tests for each option:
- Meaning: does it say what the sentence needs?
- Feeling: a warning needs a strong, bad word; praise needs a good one. Gruesome (horrible, shocking) and winsome (charming) look alike but have opposite feelings.
- Grammar: does it fit the words after the gap? 'Arrive' needs at or in (arrive at the gate), but 'reach' needs nothing (reach the gate). 'Refuse' takes to + verb (refuse to go); 'deny' takes a that clause or a noun (deny that it happened).
- Keep the option that passes all three.
Worked example
Fill in the blank: The tired runner ____ the finish line just before the whistle. (a) reached (b) arrived (c) came (d) went
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionEasy
Example 1 · Fill in the Blanks · Word Choice and Collocations
Complete the following sentences by filling the blanks with appropriate choice
The accused ____ that he had met the deceased before.
Look-alike words can have opposite feelings
Gruesome means horrible and winsome means charming. Read every letter of an option before you decide it fits.
The word after the gap can rule an option out
'Refuse' is followed by 'to' and a verb (refused to answer), so it cannot go before a 'that' clause. 'Deny' can: 'She denied that she was late.'
Concept 2 of 2: Words that always go together
A collocation is a pair of words that English always puts together, like 'heavy rain' or 'make a mistake'. Another word with the same meaning sounds wrong in its place: nobody says 'big rain' or 'do a mistake'. Fill-in-the-blank questions often give three near-synonyms and one collocation. Learn the pairs.
Definition
How to use the table:
- Learn each phrase as one unit, with its meaning.
- When the options are close in meaning, ask which one this phrase takes.
- A phrasal verb (a verb with a small word such as up, off or out) has its own meaning: set up is not put up.
| Phrase | Meaning | Correct example |
|---|---|---|
| commit to memory | learn by heart | She committed the poem to memory. |
| previous conviction | an earlier finding of guilt in court | The thief had two previous convictions. |
| set someone up as | start someone in a business or post | His aunt set him up as a tailor. |
| put someone up | give someone a place to stay | Our friends put us up for the night. |
| make a mistake | do something wrong | I made a mistake in the sum. Not 'do a mistake'. |
| pay attention | listen or look carefully | Pay attention to the teacher. |
| keep a promise | do what you said you would | He always keeps his promises. |
| take part in | join in an activity | She took part in the race. |
Near-synonyms are the usual wrong options: retain, keep and hoard sound close to commit but do not fit 'to memory'.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionEasy
Example 2 · Fill in the Blanks · Word Choice and Collocations
Complete the following sentences by filling the blanks with appropriate choice
It is impossible for the ordinary man to ____ all these figures to memory.
Same meaning, wrong partner
Retain and commit both relate to memory, but only 'commit' takes 'to memory'. In a collocation question the near-synonym is the trap.
A small word changes a phrasal verb
'Set up' starts something (set up a shop); 'put up' gives a guest a bed; 'make up' invents a story. Learn the meaning of each pair, not of the verb alone.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (1)
Words that always go together8 rows
| Phrase | Meaning | Correct example |
|---|---|---|
| commit to memory | learn by heart | She committed the poem to memory. |
| previous conviction | an earlier finding of guilt in court | The thief had two previous convictions. |
| set someone up as | start someone in a business or post | His aunt set him up as a tailor. |
| put someone up | give someone a place to stay | Our friends put us up for the night. |
| make a mistake | do something wrong | I made a mistake in the sum. Not 'do a mistake'. |
| pay attention | listen or look carefully | Pay attention to the teacher. |
| keep a promise | do what you said you would | He always keeps his promises. |
| take part in | join in an activity | She took part in the race. |
Near-synonyms are the usual wrong options: retain, keep and hoard sound close to commit but do not fit 'to memory'.
Watch out for (4)
- Look-alike words can have opposite feelings→ Fit the meaning, the feeling and the grammar
- The word after the gap can rule an option out→ Fit the meaning, the feeling and the grammar
- Same meaning, wrong partner→ Words that always go together
- A small word changes a phrasal verb→ Words that always go together
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past SPI paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.