Fill in the blanks with the suitable word from the options given below:
__________ much I tried, I couldn't help her.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → However
Complete sentence: However much I tried, I couldn't help her. "However much I tried, I couldn't help her" means that in spite of all my effort, I could not help her.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Yet | Yet means but or even so and joins two contrasting statements. It cannot stand before "much" to mean "no matter how much". | He is rich, yet he lives modestly. |
| (2) However (answer) | However + adjective/adverb means "no matter how". It begins a clause of contrast: whatever the degree, the result in the main clause does not change. | However hard he worked, he could not finish the project on time. |
| (3) Hence | Hence means for this reason and introduces a result. The sentence shows contrast, not cause and result. | The road was flooded; hence the school was closed. |
| (4) When | time. "When much I tried" is not a meaningful clause. | When I called, she was asleep. |