Matching sentence endings
Match sentence beginnings to the right endings with two filters: grammar fit and meaning fit. You'll also see why the ending that 'sounds right' is so often the trap.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
- Recognise the sentence-endings task and its rules: passage order, extra endings, one letter per answer
- Use grammar fit to shortlist possible endings in seconds
- Use meaning fit to choose the one ending the passage actually supports
- Spot the five classic distractor endings: word copy, wrong subject, reversed relationship, overstatement and common sense
What you see on the question paper
Questions 27–31
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–G, below.
Write the correct letter, A–G, in boxes 27–31 on your answer sheet.
Then come five numbered sentence beginnings, for example:
27 Early mangrove planting schemes often failed because
After them comes a jumbled list of seven endings, A–G, and two of those endings belong nowhere.
The rules of the game
- The beginnings follow the order of the passage. The answer to 28 comes after the answer to 27 in the text.
- The endings follow no order. They are deliberately mixed up.
- There are always more endings than beginnings, usually two to four extra.
- Each ending is normally used once. The instructions would tell you if a letter could be reused, and for this task that is very unusual.
- The beginning holds your locating keywords: names, dates and technical terms. It is usually written closer to the passage's own wording.
- The ending is usually paraphrased. It rarely copies the passage word for word.
- Write only the letter. On paper, write the letter in the box, not the words of the ending. On the computer-delivered test, you select or drag the letter into place.
Filter 1: grammar fit (about 10 seconds per question)
The last word or two of a beginning tells you what kind of ending must follow. Before you read the passage at all, compare the end of each beginning with the start of each ending and ask: can these two halves join into one correct sentence?
This filter won't give you the answer. It gives you a shortlist, usually two to four endings, and it stops you from wasting time on endings that can't possibly fit. Check three things:
- Word class. Does the beginning need a clause, a noun, a base verb or an -ing form?
- Agreement. A singular subject needs a singular verb: the soil releases, not the soil release.
- Connector logic. because needs a reason, although needs a contrast and so that needs a purpose.
Grammar signals: what the beginning tells you
| The beginning ends with… | The ending must start with… | Example of a correct join |
|---|---|---|
because / since / when / where / if / although / that | a full clause (subject + verb) | …failed because the seedlings were planted in the wrong place. |
a modal: can / could / may / will / is likely to | a base verb | …can result in natural regrowth. |
a preposition: by / in / for / of / without | a noun phrase or an -ing form | …was achieved by restoring old tidal channels. |
a subject noun phrase: The soil beneath the forest | a verb that agrees with that subject | …releases stored carbon. |
is / are / was / were / became | an adjective, a noun phrase or a past participle | …was largely ignored by planners. |
the / a / an / their / its | a noun (an needs a vowel sound) | …was an unexpected result. |
led to / resulted in / caused | a noun phrase, usually a result | …led to a sharp fall in fish catches. |
Grammar fit is necessary, but it is never enough
Fits the grammar only
Passage: 'Most failures had nothing to do with a lack of local enthusiasm (villagers turned out in their hundreds) but with location: seedlings had been pushed into open mudflats, where the tide covered them for too long each day.'
Beginning: Early mangrove planting schemes often failed because
B local people showed little interest in the work.
C mangroves store more carbon than most inland forests.
Both B and C are full clauses, so both sound fine after because. But B is contradicted ('villagers turned out in their hundreds'). C might be true somewhere else in the passage, but it is not a reason for failure.
Fits the grammar and the passage
A the young trees were placed where the tide covered them for too long.
This paraphrases 'seedlings had been pushed into open mudflats, where the tide covered them for too long each day'.
The completed sentence says exactly what the text says: wrong location caused failure. 'Seedlings' became 'young trees' and 'pushed into' became 'placed', which is the kind of paraphrase you should expect in a correct ending.
Grammar gives you the shortlist and the passage gives you the answer. Before you write the letter, always read the completed sentence back against the text.
The six-step method
- 1
Count and survey (30 seconds)
Count the beginnings and the endings: five beginnings and seven endings means two decoys. Read every ending once and tag its grammar in your head (clause, base verb, -ing/noun, singular verb).
- 2
Underline the locators in beginning 1
Names, dates, numbers and technical nouns (shrimp ponds, the Sundarbans, the 1990s) are what you scan for. Ignore the wording of the endings when scanning, because it is usually paraphrased.
- 3
Predict before you look
Ask what kind of idea will complete the sentence: a reason, a result, a condition or a contrast? A prediction protects you from endings that only sound good.
- 4
Locate and read closely
Scan for the locator, then read the two or three sentences around it carefully. Because of the order rule, start searching after the evidence for your previous answer.
- 5
Shortlist by grammar, decide by meaning
From the endings that fit grammatically, choose the one that says the same thing as the text. Then read the full sentence (beginning + ending) and ask: could I point to the line that proves this?
- 6
Cross out and use fences
Cross out each letter once you've used it. If a question is hard, skip it. When you've answered the questions before and after it, its answer must lie between those two places in the text.
Text
Rickshaw painting in Dhaka grew up alongside the cycle rickshaw itself, and for decades almost every vehicle carried brightly coloured panels showing film stars, rural scenes or animals. Over the past twenty years, however, many owners have switched to digitally printed panels, which cost a fraction of the price of hand-painted ones. In 2023 UNESCO added rickshaws and rickshaw painting in Dhaka to its list of intangible cultural heritage. The recognition has brought new interest from collectors and tourists, yet few young people are training as painters, since the income from the work remains unpredictable.
Questions 1–3. Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A–F.
1 Many rickshaw owners now choose printed panels because
2 International recognition of rickshaw painting has
3 Few young people are entering the trade since
A the earnings it offers are irregular.
B they are much cheaper than hand-painted ones.
C increased demand from buyers and visitors.
D painters refuse to work for rickshaw owners.
E made printed panels illegal in the city.
F the paint fades quickly in the monsoon.
Answers: 1 B · 2 C · 3 A
- Grammar shortlistBeginnings 1 and 3 end in 'because' and 'since', so they need clauses: A, B, D or F. Beginning 2 ends in 'has', so it needs a past participle: only C ('increased') or E ('made'). One quick look has already cut the work in half.
- Q1 → B'cost a fraction of the price of hand-painted ones' = 'much cheaper than hand-painted ones'. F is the common-sense trap. Paint may well fade in the rain, but the text never says so.
- Q2 → C'brought new interest from collectors and tourists' = 'increased demand from buyers and visitors'. E fits the grammar but is never stated, because nothing in the text mentions a ban.
- Q3 → A'the income … remains unpredictable' = 'the earnings it offers are irregular'. D sounds like a reason for a shortage of painters, but it isn't in the text. Notice that A uses none of the text's key words. Correct endings are paraphrased.
- The decoysD, E and F were never used, yet each one fits at least one beginning grammatically. That is exactly why they are there.
The five classic distractor endings
| Distractor type | How it tricks you | Your defence |
|---|---|---|
Word-copy trap | It repeats striking words from the passage ('storm surges', 'carbon', 'volunteers') but attaches them to the wrong idea. | Match ideas, not words. Be extra suspicious of an ending that copies the text exactly. |
Wrong-subject trap | It states something the passage does say, but about a different thing, person, place or time. | Check that the passage connects this ending to the subject of this particular beginning. |
Reversed relationship | It swaps cause and effect, or before and after: 'A caused B' becomes 'B caused A'. | Find the direction words in the text: because, led to, resulted from, followed, preceded. |
Overstatement | It turns 'some', 'often' or 'partly' into 'all', 'always' or 'entirely'. | Compare how strong the claim is: can, may, tends to, in some cases. |
Common-sense trap | It is true in the real world and perfectly logical, but the passage doesn't say it. | If you can't point to the line that proves it, it isn't the answer. |
Check your understanding
6 questions- 1
A beginning ends: '…the researchers were surprised to discover that'. What must the ending start with?
- 2
Beginning: 'Villages that kept their mangrove belts were less likely to'. Which ending is grammatically possible?
- 3
Which THREE statements about matching sentence endings are correct?
Select 3.
- 4
Passage: 'Replanting schemes have reduced flood damage in some coastal districts, although results elsewhere have been mixed.'
Replanting schemes have reduced flood damage in every coastal district.
- 5
The passage says: 'Warmer sea temperatures have led to more frequent coral bleaching.' An ending reads: '…because bleached corals raise sea temperatures.' Which distractor type is this?
- 6
Match each beginning with the only ending that fits it grammatically.
The project was abandoned becauseThe new seed variety allows farmers toMuch of the survey data was collected byEngineers are increasingly interested inThe results of the trial were
Answer every question to check.
Practice: Roots Against the Tide
Work at exam pace. The timer is a guide — it won't stop you.
Final quiz: sentence endings
10 questions- 1
You are sure that the answer to Question 28 is in paragraph C and the answer to Question 30 is in paragraph E. Where should you look first for Question 29?
- 2
Beginning: 'The introduction of a tax on plastic bags led to'. Which ending fits the grammar?
- 3
Passage: 'Although the vaccine was cheap to produce, its distribution was delayed by a shortage of refrigerated lorries.'
The vaccine reached patients late because it was expensive to manufacture.
- 4
Passage: 'Historians disagree about the purpose of the canal: some believe it was dug for irrigation, while others argue that it was intended mainly for transporting stone.'
The canal was dug by local farmers.
- 5
Beginning: 'Engineers in the 1960s were unable to'. Which TWO endings are grammatically possible?
Select 2.
- 6
Passage: 'The town's first library opened in 1890, funded not by the council but by mill workers, who each gave a small part of their weekly wage. The council took over its running in 1923, after the mills closed.' Beginning: 'The library was originally paid for by'
- 7
Put the six steps of the sentence-endings method in order.
Drag the cards (or use the arrows) into the correct order.
- 1Cross out the used ending and use answered questions as fences
- 2Count beginnings and endings, and tag each ending's grammar
- 3Shortlist by grammar, then choose by meaning
- 4Scan for the keywords and read the surrounding sentences closely
- 5Predict the kind of idea that will complete the sentence
- 6Underline the locating keywords in the beginning
- 8
In a sentence-endings task there are always more than beginnings, so some options are never used.
- 9
Which kind of ending is most likely to be a trap?
- 10
Match each distractor type with an example.
OverstatementReversed relationshipWrong-subject trapCommon-sense trap
Answer every question to check.
Key takeaways
Vocabulary from the passage
Saved as flashcards with a free accountwaterlogged
adjective/ˈwɔːtəlɒɡd/
so full of water that no more can be absorbed
জলাবদ্ধ
After a week of monsoon rain, the fields around the village were completely waterlogged.
sediment
noun/ˈsedɪmənt/
sand, mud and small stones carried by water and left on the bottom of a river, lake or sea
পলি
The Padma carries huge amounts of sediment down from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal.
decompose
verb/ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊz/
to be slowly broken down by natural processes, especially bacteria
পচে যাওয়া
Food waste decomposes much faster in warm, damp conditions.
erosion
noun/ɪˈrəʊʒn/
the gradual wearing away of land or rock by water, wind or ice
ক্ষয়; ভাঙন
Riverbank erosion forces thousands of families in Bangladesh to move every year.
storm surge
noun/ˈstɔːm sɜːdʒ/
a sudden rise in sea level caused by a storm, which pushes water onto the land
জলোচ্ছ্বাস
The storm surge pushed seawater several kilometres inland.
undertaking
noun/ˌʌndəˈteɪkɪŋ/
a large or important piece of work or a project that someone is responsible for
উদ্যোগ; বড় কাজ
Rebuilding the old market was a huge undertaking for the city council.
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