Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
Only Sam _______ play the piano.
A) Can
B) Was
C) Is
D) Were

Answer 1

Hint:First we must know the uses of all given verbs and modal verbs. Choose the option which will be grammatically correct for the given sentence and also we must see that the selected option will make the sentence meaningful.

Complete step-by-step answer:
Verb: A verb is a word that tells or asserts something about a person or thing. It plays an important role in sentences.
A verb may tell us what a person or thing does; as Harry laughs.
What is done to a person or things; as, Harry is scolded.
What a person or thing is; as, the cat is dead.
Modal verb: The verbs can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must and ought are called modal verbs or modals. They are used before ordinary verbs and express meanings such as permission, possibility, certainty and necessity. Need and dare can sometimes be used like modal verbs.
Now let’s examine and understand all the option given above:
Was: Since in the sentence the first form of the verb ‘play’ is used and the sentence is not in the past so here we can’t use the verb ‘was’. So it is an inappropriate option for the given question.
Is: Since in the sentence the first form of the verb ‘play’ is used so here we can’t use the verb ‘is’. Verb ‘is’ is used with the participle form of the verb or with passive sentences and with the simple sentence structure. So it is an inappropriate option for the given question.
Were: The verb ‘were’ is used with plural sentence as given sentence is singular. So it is also an inappropriate option for the given question.
Can: Here the verb ‘can’ is absolutely appropriate for the given question because we always use the first form of a verb with ‘can’. As it is related and appropriate answer for the given question, so the suitable answer will be option [A] Can

Note:Study of parts of speech (a category of words that have similar grammatical properties) and all types of verbs and modal verbs are necessary.
Knowing about all types of conditions which are used for different modal verbs are necessary.