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Reading: Matching Sentence Endings
Use grammar and logic to snap the correct pieces of the sentence together.
Mini-Masterclass: Grammar Filtering
You can often predict the correct answer before you even look at the text just by checking if the two halves make grammatical sense together!
The Sentence Halves:
Incomplete Sentence: 3. Bones of the early type of crocodile…
Possible Endings:
A. is believed to be 150 million years ago.
B. show some unique features.
C. resembled dolphins.
Possible Endings:
A. is believed to be 150 million years ago.
B. show some unique features.
C. resembled dolphins.
How to filter without the text:
Eliminate A: “Bones” is plural. “is believed” is singular. Grammatically incorrect.
Eliminate C: “Bones… resembled dolphins” makes no logical sense. A bone does not look like a dolphin.
Select B: “Bones (plural) … show (plural verb) some unique features.” This is the only ending that is grammatically and logically possible! We found the answer without even reading the passage.
Eliminate C: “Bones… resembled dolphins” makes no logical sense. A bone does not look like a dolphin.
Select B: “Bones (plural) … show (plural verb) some unique features.” This is the only ending that is grammatically and logically possible! We found the answer without even reading the passage.
The 8-Step Strategy
Do not read the text from start to finish. Use this “Grammar-First” strategy to eliminate bad options and save massive amounts of time.
1
Read the Beginnings Only
Read just the incomplete numbered sentences first. Try to understand their core subject. Highlight keywords (names, dates, strange nouns) in these sentence beginnings.
2
Read the Endings
Now, read the lettered sentence endings to get their general meaning. Pay attention to how they start (e.g., do they start with a verb, a preposition, or a noun?).
3
Play Matchmaker (Grammar Check)
Before reading the text, write down 2 or 3 possible letter endings next to each numbered sentence. Eliminate endings that don’t match the singular/plural verbs, or that make no logical sense.
4
Find the “Freebies”
Often, one or two sentences will only have ONE possible grammatical ending. If you find a perfect, undeniable grammatical match, fill it in immediately and cross it off the list!
5
Scan for Keywords
Now, take the keywords from Sentence 1 and scan the text to locate the paragraph where it is discussed. Remember: The answers to the numbered sentences will appear in order in the text!
6
Read the Target Area
Once you locate the correct paragraph for Sentence 1, read it in detail. Look for synonyms matching the 2 or 3 possible endings you wrote down in Step 3.
Text: “covered by a shallow sea” → Ending: “area was under water”.
7
Confirm and Cross Out
Once you confirm the match in the text, write the letter on your answer sheet and physically cross that ending out on your test paper so you don’t look at it again.
8
Follow the Trail
Move to Sentence 2. Begin scanning the text from exactly where you found the answer to Sentence 1. Do not go back to the top of the text!
10 Quick Strategy Challenges
Click to reveal how you should analyze these common Matching Endings scenarios.
1. True or False: You should read the whole text before looking at the sentence halves.
False! This is a massive waste of time. You must play the “Grammar Matchmaker” game with the sentence halves before you ever look at the text.
2. Will all the lettered endings (A-G) be found in the reading text?
Yes! The information for all the endings is usually somewhere in the text. However, the distractors will not correctly match the first half of your specific sentence.
3. Incomplete sentence: “The researchers were planning to…” Ending A: “…discovery of the tomb.” Ending B: “…excavate the site.” Which is grammar-correct?
Ending B. “Planning to” must be followed by an infinitive verb (excavate). Ending A is a noun phrase and breaks the grammar rule.
4. You find the answer to Sentence 1 in Paragraph B, and Sentence 3 in Paragraph E. Where is Sentence 2?
Sentence 2 must be located somewhere between Paragraph B and Paragraph E (likely C or D). The numbered sentences always follow the text’s chronological order.
5. You see the exact words from Ending C in the text. Should you immediately select C as the answer?
Beware! Examiners frequently use exact word matches as distractors. The correct ending is usually heavily paraphrased. Always read the sentence to check the meaning.
6. Incomplete sentence: “The new laws resulted in…” Ending A: “…because of the taxes.” Ending B: “…a sudden drop in sales.”
Ending B. “Resulted in” requires a noun or noun phrase as an effect. Ending A provides a cause (“because of”), which makes no logical sense.
7. You have 2 minutes left and 3 sentences remaining. What should you do?
Stop scanning the text. Use the grammar and logic strategy! Match the plurals, singulars, and prepositions of the remaining halves and guess based purely on what sounds like correct English.
8. The incomplete sentence says “The skeleton is kept in…”. What kind of word must the ending start with?
It must start with a place, location, or container (e.g., “a museum”, “the university”, “a display case”).
9. What is the biggest advantage of crossing out sentence endings as you use them?
It narrows your options. By the time you get to the last sentence, you might only have 2 or 3 endings left to choose from, making it incredibly fast to solve.
10. You read a great fact in the text that perfectly matches Ending D. However, it does not match the subject of your incomplete sentence. Can you use it?
No. You are matching the two halves of the sentence, not just finding facts in the text. If it doesn’t fit the first half, it is a distractor. Ignore it.
10 Full Matching Endings Tests
Put your strategies to the ultimate test with these full IELTS Reading tasks.
