Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank in the given sentence:
The shopkeeper sounded ______ on the phone and hung up before I could even finish my question.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → surly
An adjective is a word that describes a noun or a pronoun, for example a tall tree, the food is tasty.
Complete sentence: The shopkeeper sounded surly on the phone and hung up before I could even finish my question. “Sounded” is a linking verb here. It shows no action and joins the shopkeeper to a word that describes him.
| Option | What it tells | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) surly (answer) | an adjective, though it ends in -ly, like “friendly”: bad-tempered and unfriendly; a shopkeeper who hangs up on a customer is surly | The surly guard at the gate did not even answer our question. |
| (2) rudely | an adverb: tells how an action is done | The boy rudely pushed past the old woman. |
| (3) courteous | an adjective, but it means polite and respectful | The courteous receptionist offered us a glass of water. |
| (4) surliness | a noun: names the quality of being bad-tempered | His surliness drove many customers away. |