Fill in the blank with a suitable adverb from the given alternatives.
Sheetal spoke __________ in class yesterday as she felt no one was paying attention to her.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → hesitantly
An adverb is a word that tells how, when, where or how much something happens. It can also describe an adjective or another adverb, for example she sings sweetly, very hot.
Complete sentence: Sheetal spoke hesitantly in class yesterday as she felt no one was paying attention to her. Sheetal felt that no one was paying attention to her, so she spoke without confidence, hesitantly.
| Option | What it tells | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) hesitantly (answer) | Hesitantly means in an unsure, slow, uncertain way, pausing before speaking. | He knocked hesitantly at the principal's door. |
| (2) fluency | Fluency is a noun (the ability to speak smoothly). The blank needs an adverb. | Her fluency in French impressed the visitors. |
| (3) fastly | "Fastly" is not a word. The adverb of "fast" is "fast" itself. | – |
| (4) greatly | very much, used with verbs of feeling or change ("greatly improved"). One cannot "speak greatly". | Her health has greatly improved. |