Tone and Logic
Completion

A sentence completion gives you a sentence with one word missing. Your job is to choose the word that best fits the blank.

Tone is the feeling behind a sentence. Is it happy or sad? Kind or mean? Calm or scary?

Logic means the sentence has to make sense. The word you pick must fit what is really happening.

Small words in a sentence are clues. They tell you which direction the answer should go.

Sometimes a word has the right tone but the wrong logic, or the right logic but the wrong tone. The best answer needs both.

Step 1 — Tone: Winning a race is a happy event, so the mood is positive.

Step 2 — Logic: A winner would feel good, not bad.

Step 1 — Clue word: The word but means the answer is the opposite of messy.

Step 2 — Logic: The opposite of messy is clean.

Step 1 — Clue word: The word because keeps the same direction.

Step 2 — Tone: A loud storm is scary, so the feeling is negative.

Now you will try five sentence completions. For each one, remember to:

The lost kitten looked cold and hungry, so the children felt very ______ for it.

The path was rocky and steep, but the view at the top was absolutely ______.

Because she had practiced the song for weeks, Lily sang it with great ______.

The museum guard spoke in a quiet, ______ voice so the visitors could focus on the art.

Although the test was difficult, Sam stayed ______ and answered every question.

You now know how to use tone and logic to choose the best word for any sentence completion.