Choose the appropriate word to fill in the blank in the given sentence:
_____ they had been waiting in line all night,I was sure they'd get the tickets for the show.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Since
Complete sentence: Since they had been waiting in line all night, I was sure they’d get the tickets for the show. Reason: they had been waiting in line all night. Result: I was sure they would get the tickets. "Since" joins the reason to the result correctly.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) As though | as if. It describes how something seems, not a reason. "As though they had been waiting ... I was sure" makes no sense. | He talks as though he knows everything. |
| (2) Because of | Because of also gives a reason, but it must be followed by a noun or noun phrase, not by a full clause with a subject and verb ("they had been waiting"). | The flight was delayed because of fog. |
| (3) Since (answer) | At the start of a clause, since can mean because. It introduces a reason that is already known. Pattern: Since + reason clause, result clause. | Since it was raining heavily, the match was called off. |
| (4) Until | up to the time when. It shows time, not reason. It does not link the waiting to the speaker's certainty. | Wait here until I come back. |