Master gap filling exercises focusing on prepositions, articles, and tenses - three common areas tested in CBSE and UP Board grammar sections. Learn rules, common patterns, and strategies for accurate completion.
✅ Recommended for: Class 8-10 (Core) | Class 11-12 (Revision)
1. Understanding Gap Filling Exercises
Gap Filling: Exercises where words (usually prepositions, articles, or verbs) are omitted from a passage, and you must fill them correctly.
Common in Exams: CBSE and UP Board include gap filling in grammar sections, testing application of rules in context.
Three Main Types: 1) Preposition gaps 2) Article gaps 3) Verb tense gaps - often mixed in same exercise.
| Gap Type | What's Tested | Common Patterns | Marks Allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preposition Gaps | Relationship between words (time, place, direction) | Fixed prepositions with verbs/adjectives, time/place expressions | ½ mark each, usually 4-6 gaps |
| Article Gaps | Use of a, an, the, or zero article | First mention (a/an), specific reference (the), general plural (no article) | ½ mark each, usually 3-5 gaps |
| Tense Gaps | Correct verb form for time reference | Time expressions clues, sequence of tenses, context clues | 1 mark each, usually 3-4 gaps |
| Mixed Gaps | Combination of above types | Passage with various missing word types | ½-1 mark each depending on type |
2. Prepositions: Rules & Common Patterns
| Preposition Type | Common Prepositions | Usage Rules | Example Patterns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Prepositions | at, in, on, for, since, during, by, until | at (clock time), in (months/years), on (days/dates), for (duration), since (starting point) | at 5 PM, in July, on Monday, for two hours, since 2020 |
| Place Prepositions | in, on, at, under, above, between, among, beside | in (enclosed space), on (surface), at (specific point), between (two), among (three+) | in the room, on the table, at the station, between you and me |
| Direction/Movement | to, from, into, out of, toward, across, through | to (destination), from (origin), into (entering), out of (exiting) | go to school, come from Delhi, jump into water |
| Fixed Combinations | Verb/Adj + specific preposition | Must learn common combinations | depend on, interested in, afraid of, good at |
| Phrasal Verbs | Verb + particle combinations | Particle changes verb meaning | give up, look after, turn down |
3. Common Preposition Combinations
| Category | Verb + Preposition | Adjective + Preposition | Noun + Preposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | talk to, speak with, listen to, agree with | angry with, pleased with, satisfied with | conversation about, discussion on |
| Thinking/Feeling | think about, believe in, dream of | interested in, excited about, afraid of | idea of, thought about |
| Movement/Action | go to, arrive at, depart from | good at, bad at, ready for | journey to, trip to |
| Time/Duration | wait for, last for, continue until | late for, early for, on time for | time for, date of |
| Relationship | depend on, rely on, belong to | married to, related to, different from | relationship with, connection to |
4. Articles: A, An, The Rules
| Article | When to Use | Rules & Examples | Special Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Singular countable nouns, first mention, general | • Before consonant sounds: a book, a university • Professions: He is a doctor • Quantities: a lot of, a few |
• A before u when sounds like "you": a university • A before h when sounded: a horse |
| An | Singular countable nouns starting with vowel sound | • Before vowel sounds: an apple, an hour • Abbreviations: an MBA, an FBI agent • Letters: an "F" grade |
• An before silent h: an hour, an honest person • An before abbreviations starting with vowel sound |
| The | Specific or previously mentioned nouns | • Second mention: I saw a cat. The cat was black. • Unique things: the sun, the moon • Superlatives: the best, the tallest • Specific groups: the poor, the Indians |
• No article for general plurals: Cats are animals. • No article for uncountable nouns: Water is essential. |
| Zero Article | General concepts, meals, languages, most places | • General plural: Books are informative. • Uncountable nouns: Love is beautiful. • Meals: have breakfast, after lunch • Languages: She speaks Hindi. |
• Except: the breakfast we had (specific) • Except: the Hindi spoken in Delhi (specific form) |
5. Tenses: Identifying & Selecting Correct Forms
| Tense | Time Reference | Common Time Expressions | Example Gap Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Habits, facts, general truths | always, usually, often, sometimes, never, every day | She ______ (go) to school every day. → goes |
| Present Continuous | Actions happening now, temporary situations | now, at the moment, currently, right now | They ______ (watch) TV right now. → are watching |
| Present Perfect | Past actions with present relevance, experiences | just, yet, already, since, for, ever, never | I ______ (finish) my homework already. → have finished |
| Simple Past | Completed actions at specific past time | yesterday, last week, ago, in 2020, when I was young | He ______ (visit) Delhi last year. → visited |
| Past Continuous | Actions in progress at specific past time | while, when, as, at 5 PM yesterday | I ______ (study) when you called. → was studying |
| Past Perfect | Action completed before another past action | by the time, before, after, already, never before | She ______ (leave) before I arrived. → had left |
| Future Forms | Plans, predictions, intentions | tomorrow, next week, soon, in the future | We ______ (travel) to Goa next month. → will travel/are going to travel |
6. Gap Filling Strategy: Step-by-Step Approach
| Step | Action | Focus Questions | Time per Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Read Entire Passage | Read without filling gaps to understand context | What is the passage about? What tense is mostly used? | 1-2 minutes total |
| 2. Identify Gap Type | For each gap, determine what type of word is missing | Is it preposition, article, verb, conjunction, etc.? | 10-15 seconds per gap |
| 3. Analyze Context | Look at words before and after the gap | What word comes before? What comes after? What relationship? | 15-20 seconds per gap |
| 4. Apply Rules | Use grammar rules based on gap type and context | For prepositions: time/place? For articles: specific/general? For verbs: tense/time? | 10-15 seconds per gap |
| 5. Check Overall Flow | Read passage with filled gaps to ensure coherence | Does the completed passage make sense? Are tenses consistent? | 30-45 seconds total |
| 6. Verify Difficult Gaps | Re-examine any uncertain answers | Could there be alternative correct answers? Does my answer fit all context clues? | 20-30 seconds for difficult gaps |
7. Common Traps & How to Avoid Them
| Trap Type | How It Appears | Why Students Fall For It | How to Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| False Time Clues | Time expression suggests one tense but context requires another | Seeing "yesterday" and automatically using simple past, but context may need past perfect | Read full sentence, check if action happened before another past action |
| Fixed Preposition Changes | Common verb used with uncommon preposition in specific context | Knowing "depend on" but missing "it depends whether" (different construction) | Learn common patterns but also read for actual sentence structure |
| Article Generalization | Using "the" for general statements where no article is needed | Thinking all singular nouns need an article, forgetting zero article for general concepts | Ask: Is this specific or general? First mention or previously mentioned? |
| Tense Sequence Errors | Mixing tenses incorrectly in complex sentences | Not recognizing need for past perfect when describing two past events in sequence | Map timeline of events, identify which happened first |
| Phrasal Verb Confusion | Gap looks like needs preposition but actually needs phrasal verb particle | Filling "look at" when context needs "look after" (different meaning) | Consider meaning of whole phrase, not just grammatical structure |
8. Practice with Different Gap Types
| Gap Sentence | Missing Word Type | Clues in Sentence | Correct Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| I'm interested ______ learning French. | Preposition | "interested" requires specific preposition | in |
| She wants to be ______ engineer when she grows up. | Article | Profession, singular countable noun starting with vowel sound | an |
| Yesterday, I ______ (meet) my old friend. | Verb Tense | "Yesterday" indicates past time, completed action | met |
| The book is ______ the table. | Preposition | Location relationship between book and table | on |
| ______ sun rises in the east. | Article | Unique object, everyone knows which sun | The |
| By the time we arrived, the movie ______ (already start). | Verb Tense | "By the time" + past event, action completed before another past action | had already started |
| He is good ______ solving puzzles. | Preposition | "good" requires specific preposition for activities | at |
| ______ water in this bottle is cold. | Article | Specific water (in this bottle), not water in general | The |
9. Time Management for Gap Filling Exercises
| Exercise Type | Typical Length | Recommended Time | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Preposition Gaps | Short paragraph, 10 gaps | 5-6 minutes | Read once (1 min), fill gaps (3 min), check (1-2 min) |
| Mixed Gaps (8-10) | Short paragraph, mixed types | 6-8 minutes | Read (1 min), identify types (1 min), fill (3-4 min), check (1-2 min) |
| Verb Tense Gaps Only | 5-6 verb gaps in paragraph | 4-5 minutes | Read for time clues (1 min), identify tenses (1 min), fill (2 min), check (1 min) |
| Article Gaps Only | 6-8 article gaps | 4-5 minutes | Read for specificity (1 min), apply rules (2 min), check flow (1-2 min) |
| Comprehensive Exercise | 15-20 mixed gaps in longer passage | 10-12 minutes | Read fully (2 min), gap by gap (6-7 min), final read (2-3 min) |
🎯 Gap Filling Challenge
Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions, articles, or verb forms.
Yesterday, I went (1) ______ (preposition) the market with my friend. We wanted to buy (2) ______ (article) gift for (3) ______ (article) teacher's birthday. First, we looked (4) ______ (preposition) several shops but couldn't find anything suitable. Then I remembered that she is very fond (5) ______ (preposition) reading. So we went to (6) ______ (article) bookstore. By the time we reached there, the store (7) ______ (already close) for lunch. We (8) ______ (wait) for half an hour until it reopened. Finally, we (9) ______ (buy) a beautiful novel. I think she will (10) ______ (like) our gift.
1. Fill gap (1) with correct preposition
Rule: "go" + "to" for destination
Alternative: "to" (go to market)
2. Fill gap (2) with correct article
Rule: First mention of singular countable noun "gift" starting with consonant sound
Explanation: "gift" is mentioned for first time, not specific which gift yet
3. Fill gap (3) with correct article
Note: This is actually a possessive adjective, not article, but fits context
Alternative: "the" (if teacher was previously mentioned)
Most likely: "our" (shows relationship) or "the" (specific teacher)
4. Fill gap (4) with correct preposition
Rule: "looked in" (inside shops) or "looked at" (examined shops)
Both acceptable: "looked in several shops" or "looked at several shops"
5. Fill gap (5) with correct preposition
Rule: Fixed combination "fond of"
Explanation: "fond" is always followed by "of" to indicate liking
6. Fill gap (6) with correct article
Rule: First mention of bookstore, not specific which one yet
Explanation: "bookstore" is mentioned for first time, starting with consonant sound
7. Fill gap (7) with correct verb form
Rule: Past perfect for action completed before another past action
Explanation: Closing happened before reaching (both in past), so past perfect
8. Fill gap (8) with correct verb form
Rule: Simple past for completed past action
Explanation: Action completed in past, no need for continuous or perfect
9. Fill gap (9) with correct verb form
Rule: Simple past for completed past action
Explanation: Buying happened at specific past time (after waiting)
10. Fill gap (10) with correct verb form
Rule: Simple future for prediction about future
Explanation: "will" + base form for future prediction about her reaction
11. Memory Aids & Exam Tips
Preposition Memory Aids:
• Time: AT a time, ON a day, IN a period (AT 5 PM, ON Monday, IN July)
• Place: IN a space, ON a surface, AT a point (IN room, ON table, AT station)
• Movement: TO destination, FROM origin, INTO interior (TO school, FROM home, INTO room)
• Fixed Combinations: Create flashcards for common verb/adj + preposition pairs
For prepositions, context is king - what relationship is being shown?
Article Decision Tree:
1. Is the noun countable and singular? → Yes → Go to 2. No → Probably no article
2. Is it specific/known to reader? → Yes → Use "the"
3. No → Does it start with vowel sound? → Yes → Use "an"
4. No → Use "a"
Exceptions: Unique things (the sun), superlatives (the best), groups (the poor)
For articles, ask: Specific or general? Known or new? Unique or one of many?
Tense Selection Strategy:
1. Find time expressions in sentence or nearby sentences
2. Map timeline: When did action happen relative to other actions?
3. Check consistency: Main tense of passage usually guides gaps
4. Watch for sequences: Two past actions → which happened first? (past perfect)
5. Consider aspect: Is action completed, ongoing, or with present effect?
For tenses, draw mental timeline - when exactly did/will action occur?
📝 Practice Gap Filling Exercises
Master gap filling with targeted exercises for prepositions, articles, and tenses for CBSE and UP Board exams!
Go to Gap Filling WorksheetIncludes answer key • Separate exercises for each type • Mixed gap exercises • Common error analysis • Step-by-step solutions
