Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
Will you come _______ with me?
a. to shopping
b. to shop
c. shopping
d. shop

Answer 1

Hint: The blank is after a verb, which means that the required answer is most probably a non finite verb. This will help to narrow down the options.

Complete step by step solution: Most nonfinite verbs found in English are infinitives, participles and gerunds. We need to find out which form we need.
In the given sentence, the blank needs to be filled with something that also acts as a noun.
This means that the non finite verb required is a gerund.

Gerunds are a verb form which functions as a noun. They are constructed by adding ‘-ing’ to a root verb.

Now, let’s look at the given options:

a. to shopping - This construction is grammatically incorrect, as this verb is neither an infinitive nor a gerund. So, this is an incorrect option.
b. to shop - This is an infinitive, as its form is ‘to + verb’. It is not a gerund. So, this is an incorrect option.
c. shopping - This is constructed by adding the suffix ‘-ing’ to the root verb ‘shop’ with the required changes. This is a gerund. So, this is the correct option.
d. shop - This would be grammatically incorrect to use in the given construction. It is not a gerund. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note: Use the method of elimination to correctly identify which option is right. It is necessary to keep the meaning of the sentence intact, and keep it grammatically correct.