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Complete the Words — letters, grammar and meaning
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The same prefix can lead to a different verb
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“Volunteers arr____ early yesterday” and “Volunteers arr____ the chairs” share a beginning but not the same meaning. Letters, grammar and context must work together.
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ETS describes a 70–100-word academic paragraph. Its first sentence is intact; after that, the second half of every second word is deleted until there are ten gaps.
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Type the missing letters, not the whole word. Use meaning, vocabulary, grammar and spelling together. Read the intact first sentence for context before you attempt any gap.
The missing halves of words are not hiding under the keyboard.
Start with the printed letters
- In the plants abs___ some water, the visible abs and the sentence point to absorb; you enter orb. A synonym with a different beginning cannot fit. Grammar can narrow a choice: after were very in the results were very cle__, an adjective such as clear fits.
- Be careful with rigid shortcuts. The can be followed by an adjective before a noun (the clear result), and to can begin a noun phrase (to the library).
'The results were very ______.' What kind of word belongs in the gap?
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After the linking verb 'were', 'very' introduces a description of the results; an adjective fits this sentence.
Use the whole sentence, not the gap
- Read to the end of the sentence before choosing. Later words can rule out a guess that seemed plausible from the prefix alone.
- Check the full phrase: the survey rep_____ a change calls for a reporting verb. Reported fits the given letters and the meaning; another word beginning rep may not. Contrast words such as however signal a change in direction, not necessarily an exact opposite. Read the whole thought.
The first trial failed, but the second passed the required check. What contrast is stated?
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Passed the required check explicitly supplies the success contrast here. But alone does not require an exact opposite or prove success: the second trial could instead be less disappointing.
Read it back
- Join your answer to the printed prefix and read the whole word in its sentence. Check endings such as -s, -ed and -ing when the grammar calls for them; do not add one automatically.
- If two completions seem possible, choose the one that fits both the local grammar and the paragraph's meaning.
A correct word with one letter missing still earns the mark.
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Spelling counts in this task. Reading the sentence back is what catches a missing -s or -ed.
If you cannot work out the word, leaving the gap empty is safer than guessing.
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A blank cannot be correct. Use the printed letters, grammar and paragraph meaning to make a considered guess when you are unsure.
How to practise
- Use a short academic paragraph. Keep the first sentence, then remove the latter half of every second word until there are ten gaps. Restore only those missing letters.
- The next lesson has one complete original passage with ten checked gaps; it needs no specialist knowledge. Task mechanics checked on 23 September 2026: ETS 2026 TOEFL iBT overview and ETS Reading section.
Three clues must agree on one word
- Original mini-drill: “The volunteers arr____ early yesterday.” The visible prefix is arr, the time is past, and the volunteers reached a place. The full word is arrived, so enter ived.
- Now compare “The volunteers arr____ the chairs before visitors enter.” The object chairs changes the meaning: arrange fits, so the missing letters are ange. A familiar prefix alone cannot choose the answer.
- These two isolated gaps teach a contrast; they are not a full ten-gap ETS task. Read the first intact sentence and the paragraph in a complete drill.
- Check the visible letters, the sentence grammar and the paragraph meaning; enter only the missing letters.
- Try the transfer checks below before returning to the explanation. These are original self-checks, with no official score conversion.
- Apply the method to complete word-restoration paragraphs, with guided clues, fresh independent texts and an entry-error repair.
Match the three distinctions from the worked case.
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Now compare “The volunteers arr____ the chairs before visitors enter.” The object chairs changes the meaning: arrange fits, so the missing letters are ange. A familiar prefix alone cannot choose the answer.
In “The volunteers arr____ early yesterday”, which letters complete arrived?
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Original mini-drill: “The volunteers arr____ early yesterday.” The visible prefix is arr, the time is past, and the volunteers reached a place. The full word is arrived, so enter ived. Now compare “The volunteers arr____ the chairs before visitors enter.” The object chairs changes the meaning: arrange fits, so the missing letters are ange. A familiar prefix alone cannot choose the answer.
Complete the worked-case label: arr____ early yesterday → ____. Use the phrase in the diagram.
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Check the visible letters, the sentence grammar and the paragraph meaning; enter only the missing letters.