Question

Choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence.
These plants usually flower in spring, ______ won’t if there is frost.
a) but
b) however
c) nevertheless
d) otherwise

Answer 1

Hint: In the given sentence, a contradiction is implied. There is a very specific conjunction that can help to convey the implied meaning. Only one option can complete the sentence.

Complete answer:
 In grammar, a conjunction is a part of speech that connects words, phrases, or clauses that are called the conjuncts of the conjunctions. There are many kinds of conjunctions, and each implies a different meaning when used.

In this case, the conjunction ‘but’ should be used. Usually, when this is used, there needs to be a contradiction. For example, ‘the tea is hot, but the water is cold’. The word ‘but’ implies that there are two contradictory situations. One part should be affirmative and one should be negative to use ‘but’.

In the given sentence, the first part is positive, so, the second part should be negative, i.e. it should not contain words like ‘no’ or ‘not’. Hence, we know that we need the word ‘but’.

Now, let’s look at the given options-
a) but - The word ‘but’ is used to imply contradictions. It fits perfectly into the context of the given sentence. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
b) however - The word ‘however’ is used to go against what has been previously established. It does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) nevertheless - This word is used to make the previous part of the sentence obsolete and move on. It does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
d) otherwise - This word is used to imply a condition. It does not fit into the context of the given sentence. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
The given sentence needs a clear contradiction, which is missing. Go through each option carefully to make sure that you choose the grammatically correct option.