Completing Sentence | Rules & Examples

Sheba Kutir May 24, 2026

Completing Sentence: Rules & Examples

Completing sentence means completing an incomplete sentence by adding a suitable:

  • word
  • phrase
  • clause

to express the complete meaning correctly.

It is an important part of English grammar and is widely used in:

  • school exams
  • competitive exams
  • writing
  • spoken English

Basic Examples of Completing Sentence

  1. If you come, I will go.
  2. Unless you read, you will fail.
  3. I don't know where he lives.
Completing Sentence Rules & Examples

Rule 01: “It is High Time” vs “It is Time”

Sentences beginning with “It is high time” are followed by the past form of the verb.

On the other hand, sentences with “It is time” are followed by:
to + verb

For Example

  1. It is high time we controlled it.
  2. It is high time they finished it.
  3. It is time to read.
  4. It is time to run.
It is high time and it is time grammar rule

Rule 02: “As If” / “As Though”

If the first clause is in the present tense, the next clause becomes past tense.

If the first clause is in the past tense, the next clause becomes past perfect tense.

For Example

  1. He speaks as if he were mad.
  2. He spoke as though he had been mad.
  3. She tells as if she knew everything.
  4. She told as though she had known it.

Rule 03: Conditional Sentences

Conditional sentences are mainly divided into three types.

(i) First Conditional

If the first clause is in present tense, the next clause is usually:

  • future indefinite
  • or present tense

For Example

  1. If you come, I will go.
  2. If you waste time, you will fail.
  3. If he does not work, he will not succeed.

(ii) Second Conditional

If the first clause is in past tense, the next clause uses would.

For Example

  1. If you came, I would go.
  2. If you wasted time, you would fail.
  3. If he did not work, he would not succeed.

(iii) Third Conditional

If the first clause is in past perfect tense, the next clause uses:
would have + past participle

For Example

  1. If you had come, I would have gone.
  2. If you had gone, I would have worked.
  3. If you had read, you would have passed.
  4. Had I seen her again, I would have slapped her.
Conditional sentence rules with examples

Rule 04: Sentences Joined by “Before” and “After”

When two clauses are joined by before or after, one clause usually becomes perfect tense and the other becomes indefinite tense.

For Example

  1. I had gone before he came here.
  2. I reached there after he had gone.
  3. The teacher entered before I read.
  4. I go there after he has written.

Rule 05: Unreal Sentences

Sentences joined by:

  • if
  • wish
  • fancy
  • would that
  • had

generally express unreal situations.

For Example

  1. I wish I were a king.
  2. Would that I could help the poor.
  3. Had I been a poet!
  4. If I knew it.

Rule 06: “Would You Mind” vs “Would You Like”

After Would you mind, the verb takes:
verb + ing

After Would you like, the verb takes:
to + verb

For Example

  1. Would you mind giving me a pen?
  2. Would you mind calling a laborer?
  3. Would you like to give me a pen?
  4. Would you like to call a laborer?
Polite phrases comparison infographic

Rule 07: Sentences Joined by “Too…To”

In sentences joined by the "too.to" the next 'to ' expresses the negative sense of meaning. So the next verb should be written according to the adjective/adverb between "too.to".

For Example

  1. She is too weak to walk.
  2. I was too honest to tell a lie.
  3. It was too strong to blow away a house.

Rule 08: Sentences Joined by “So…That”

“So…that” expresses result or ability.

The clause after that generally contains:

  • can
  • could

For Example

  1. I was so weak that I could not walk.
  2. She is so strong that she cannot resist me.
  3. They are so honest that they cannot commit a crime.

Rule 09: “So That” / “In Order That”

So that/in under that expresses the ability or Power of the subject to do something. Can/could sit in the next sentence according to the tense of the first sentence.

For Example

  1. I went there so that I could get money.
  2. You work hard so that you can succeed.
  3. She reads more so that she can pass.
  4. They practiced in order that they could improve.

Rule 10: Sentences Joined by “Lest”

After lest, the second clause usually takes:

  • should
  • would
  • could
  • might

It often expresses fear or prevention.

For Example

  1. Walk fast lest you should miss the class.
  2. Read attentively lest you should fail.
  3. Avoid mistakes lest you should lose it.
Lest grammar rule with examples

Rule 11: Sentences Joined by “Would Rather”

After would rather, the verb remains in present form.

For Example

  1. I would rather die than beg.
  2. He would rather hire a rickshaw than take a taxi.
  3. They would rather take a loan than borrow money.

Rule 12: Sentences Joined by Since, As, Because

When sentences are joined by:

  • since
  • as
  • because

both clauses usually maintain related tense consistency.

For Example

  1. Since I was ill, I could not go.
  2. As I am fit, I will do it.
  3. I could not pass because I did not study.

Rule 13: Because Of / Due To / Owing To

These are followed by:

  • noun
  • pronoun
  • verb+ing form

For Example

  1. I lost my job because of you.
  2. Due to raining heavily, I could not go there.
  3. He celebrated the day on account of commemorating the event.

Rule 14: No Sooner / Scarcely / Hardly

In these structures:

  • first clause = perfect tense
  • second clause = simple tense

For Example

  1. No sooner had I reached than she came.
  2. Scarcely had we caught her when she ran away.
  3. Hardly had she heard it when she rushed there.
No sooner scarcely hardly grammar rules

Rule 15: Sentences Joined by “Unless”

The clause after unless is affirmative, but the other clause is negative in meaning.

For Example

  1. Unless you work hard, you will fail.
  2. You cannot succeed unless you study.
  3. He cannot pass unless he reads more.

Rule 16: Usage of “Let Alone”

The preposition 'Let alone" is used to mean "Can't think or imagine, where the subordinate noun Comes before let alone and the main noun comes after.

For Example

  1. He cannot walk one mile, let alone ten miles.
  2. He cannot remember my name, let alone my address.
  3. He does not know Bangla, let alone English.

Rule 17: In Spite Of / Despite / Though / Although

Inspire of, despite, though  and although are Conjunctions that Join two clauses and indicate the opposite action or result of each other.

For Example

  1. Though he is poor, he is honest.
  2. In spite of being poor, he got a degree.
  3. Despite his mistake, I allowed him.
Contrast connectors understanding opposites clearly

Conclusion

Completing sentence is an essential part of English grammar. It improves:

  • sentence formation
  • grammatical accuracy
  • writing skill
  • spoken fluency

Understanding these rules with examples makes English learning easier and more effective.

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