Question

Choose the most appropriate word to complete the sentence.
Don’t worry about Ashok, he’s a ________.
(a)loner
(b)lonely
(c)lone one
(d)lonelier

Answer 1

Hint: The word that is needed is a noun. Nouns are naming words that name any object. Try to identify which options are nouns and which are not nouns. This will help you to choose the correct option.

Complete answer: The given sentence describes the fact that Ashok, the subject in the given sentence, is a specific type of person and it is assuring someone not to be worried about him. So, we need to fill the blank with a noun. The reason we need a noun is the presence of an article in front of the blank.

Now, we know what we are looking for. Let’s look at the given options:
(a)loner - The word ‘loner’ refers to a person that prefers not to associate with others’. This word is used as a noun, and it fits into the given blank and it describes Ashok. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
(b)lonely - The word ‘lonely’ refers to ‘sad because one has no friends or company'. This word is used as an adjective and it does not fit into this sentence. There cannot be an adjective after an article. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(c)lone one - The word ‘lone one’ refers to ‘one who has no companions; solitary or single’. This word is used as a noun phrase, however, this does not fit into the context of this given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
(d)lonelier - The word ‘lonelier’ refers to ‘sad because one has no friends or company’. This word is also an adjective and it is in the comparative degree. However, there is no comparison being made in the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: You can always use the Elimination method to guess the right answer. Just read the sentence and try to understand what it is trying to say and go through the options. Put each option and check whether the sentence makes sense or not. This way eliminates the undesired options.