Question

Use the right word to fill in the blank:
A: Why don’t we stay at a hotel?
B: No, ____ we stayed at a hotel, it would cost too much.
A) When
B) While
C) If
D) As

Answer 1

Hint: This question is from the concept of conjunctions, i.e. words that are used to connect two or more sentences or parts of a sentence (including words, phrases, clauses and even sentences). According to their usage, conjunctions are either coordinating, subordinating and correlating.

Complete answer:
To answer this question, we need to know where and how the conjunctions given in the options are used. The statement given in the question comprises two clauses; We stayed at a hotel and It would cost too much. Both these clauses are conditionally dependent.

Now let us analyze the given options:
Option A) When – This is a conjunction which is used when we want to connect two sentences or clauses, where one clause takes place only when the other clause is true. For e.g. I loved eating chocolates when I was at school. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

Option B) While – This is a conjunction which is used when we want to talk about two actions that are taking place simultaneously. For e.g. ‘I was having my lunch while watching television.’ There is no such action in the given question. Therefore, this option is also wrong.

Option C) If – This is conditional conjunction and is used when two clauses have to combine where one clause is dependent on the other clause. For e.g., If I had taken my medicines on time, I would have been better off. The statement in the question is exactly like this. “No, if we stayed at a hotel, it would cost too much.” Therefore, this option is correct.

Option D) As – This is also conjunction used when two events are taking place simultaneously. For e.g. The invigilator kept an eye on the students as they gave their exams. This is therefore not the correct option.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (C) No, if we stayed at a hotel, it would cost too much.

Note: The following are the types of conjunctions;
i) Coordinating – these are used to connect words, clauses, sentences etc. that are equally important. For e.g. and, or, either, nor, etc.
ii) Subordinating – these are used to combine independent complete clauses with incomplete dependent clauses.
iii) Correlating – these are used in pairs. For e.g. neither – nor, either-or, rather – than, etc.