Fill in the blank with a suitable alternative :
I will come tomorrow _________ the contrary.
Choose the correct option :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → unless I hear
Complete sentence: I will come tomorrow unless I hear to the contrary. "I will come tomorrow unless I hear to the contrary" = I will come if I am not told anything different. To hear to the contrary means to be told that the plan has changed.
| Option | Meaning and use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (1) without hearing | "Without hearing the contrary" says the coming will happen with no word having been heard. It does not set the condition "if I do not hear otherwise". | – |
| (2) but I hear | contrast. "I will come tomorrow but I hear the contrary" contradicts itself. | – |
| (3) unless hearing | "Unless" needs a subject and a verb after it. "Unless hearing" is ungrammatical. | – |
| (4) unless I hear (answer) | Unless means if not, except if. It is a conjunction, so it is followed by a full clause with a subject and a verb in the present tense when the main clause has "will". | We will start the match at four unless it rains. |