Sentence Completion
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Lesson overview
Choosing the option that fits a gap in both grammar and meaning: logic words, tense and mood, prepositions, phrasal verbs and collocations.
Go to lesson quiz →Exam guidance · JAMB UTME Speed Lens
Pacing
~40 seconds per MCQ (180 questions in 120 minutes, no negative marking).
How JAMB marks this
Fast dimensional/sign elimination and standard formula shortcuts — skip multi-line algebra when substitution tests options faster.
Watch out for
UTME distractors routinely include the intermediate value (e.g., forgetting to convert cm³ to dm³ or °C to Kelvin).
Lesson content
Overview
Sentence completion is the most common question format in the lexis and structure part of the UTME. A single sentence has a gap, and four options differ in one small way: a tense, a preposition, a particle in a phrasal verb, or a word with a slightly different meaning. Each item tests two things at once. The option must fit the grammar of the sentence (the right form and structure), and it must fit the meaning (the logic of the whole sentence). Many candidates check only one of these and fall for a distractor that passes that check but fails the other. This lesson gives you a four-step method, the signal words that reveal a sentence's logic, the tense and mood rules most often tested, and the prepositions and phrasal verbs that appear again and again.
Key concept: grammatical fit, logical fit and fixed expressions
Grammatical fit: the word class, form, tense and agreement must suit the slot. Logical fit: the option must agree with the meaning of the rest of the sentence. Signal words show the logic: contrast (although, despite, but, however), cause (because, since, owing to, due to), result (so, therefore, consequently), addition (and, moreover, besides). Tense places an action in time (past, present, future); aspect shows whether it is complete or ongoing (simple, continuous, perfect). Mood shows the speaker's attitude: indicative for facts, imperative for commands, subjunctive for wishes, demands and unreal situations (If I were you; She insisted that he leave). A phrasal verb is a verb plus a particle with a new meaning (put off = postpone). A collocation is a natural word partnership (heavy rain, make a mistake). A dependent preposition is the fixed preposition that follows certain words (good at, interested in, abide by).
The rules that decide most items
Tense and aspect clues: • 'Since' and 'for' with a period up to now take the present perfect: 'She has lived in Enugu since 2018.' • 'By the time' + past simple takes the past perfect in the main clause: 'By the time we arrived, the film had started.' • 'By next year' or 'by the end of the month' takes the future perfect: 'By December, they will have finished the road.' • Time and condition clauses use the present for the future: 'I will call you when I get home', not 'when I will get home'. Mood: • Unreal present: 'If I were rich, I would build a school.' Use 'were' for all persons in formal English. • Unreal past: 'If she had studied, she would have passed.' • Mandative subjunctive after insist, demand, suggest, recommend, request, it is essential that: base form for all persons. 'The doctor recommended that he rest.' Prepositions and phrasal verbs to know: abide by, accuse of, apologise for, comply with, congratulate on, depend on, insist on, prevent from, prefer to, succeed in, good at, interested in, married to, similar to, different from. Call off (cancel), put off (postpone), turn down (refuse), look into (investigate), put up with (tolerate), turn out (prove to be), give in (surrender), make up for (compensate), run out of (exhaust a supply).
Worked example 1: a logic gap
'Although the drugs were very expensive, the family ___ them for their sick son.' A. refused B. bought C. could not afford D. returned
Active Worked Example · Predict Step 1
4 stepsWrite down the formula, rule, or first move you would make before revealing Step 1.
Worked example 2: a phrasal verb
'Everyone believed the rumour, but it turned ___ to be false.' A. up B. down C. out D. off
Active Worked Example · Predict Step 1
4 stepsWrite down the formula, rule, or first move you would make before revealing Step 1.
Worked example 3 (UTME standard): the subjunctive
'The chief examiner insisted that every candidate ___ seated in the hall by 8 a.m.' A. is B. be C. was D. will be
Active Worked Example · Predict Step 1
5 stepsWrite down the formula, rule, or first move you would make before revealing Step 1.
Common traps
• Checking grammar but not logic: a correct verb form can still reverse the meaning. • Using 'will' after 'when', 'if', 'as soon as' or 'until' for the future. • Writing 'If I was' in formal unreal conditions where the UTME expects 'If I were'. • Adding -s in the subjunctive: 'insisted that he goes' is wrong. • Mixing particles: call off (cancel), call on (visit), call up (summon), call for (demand).
Summary
• The right option fits both the grammar and the logic of the sentence. • Signal words reveal the logic: contrast, cause, result, addition. • Since/for take the present perfect; by the time + past takes the past perfect; time clauses use the present for the future. • Unreal conditions use 'were' and 'had + past participle'; insist/demand/suggest that take the base form. • Learn dependent prepositions and phrasal verbs as whole units.
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