Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option:
For a month after his knee operation, Uncle Harish avoided ______ the stairs and used the lift instead.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → taking
Complete sentence: For a month after his knee operation, Uncle Harish avoided taking the stairs and used the lift instead. The blank comes right after “avoided”, so it needs the form that “avoid” takes.
| Option | Form and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) taking (answer) | the -ing form; “avoid” is followed by it, never by “to + verb” | The doctor told Papa to avoid taking too much salt. |
| (2) to take | the to-verb (to + verb); follows verbs like want and decide, not “avoid” | He wanted to take the lift. |
| (3) take | the base form without “to”; follows words like can, will and must, not “avoid” | You must take your medicine on time. |
| (4) taken | the past participle (V3); follows a helping verb such as has or had, not “avoid” | Dadi has taken her medicine. |