Fill in the blank with most appropriate option:
He speaks English as ___ as a native speaker.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
fluently
Explanation
The sentence requires a modifier to fill the comparison structure as... as. To choose the correct word, we must identify what is being modified.
The sentence is describing the manner in which 'He speaks.' Because 'speaks' is an action verb, it must be modified by an adverb (a word that describes how an action is done), not an adjective.
The word fluent is an adjective, whereas fluently is the adverb form. Therefore, 'fluently' is the correct choice to describe his speaking ability.
Let's look at why the other options are incorrect:
The choice 'fluent' is an adjective. It would only be correct if it were modifying a noun directly (for example, 'He is a fluent speaker').
The choices 'more fluent' and 'most fluently' are comparative and superlative forms. The as... as construction is used to show equality or direct comparison at a base level, and it strictly requires a positive degree modifier (the simple form of the word without more or most).
Putting the correct adverb into the comparison structure gives us: 'He speaks English as fluently as a native speaker.'
Key Points
To ace modifier questions on competitive tests, always identify the target word being described.
Use the structure as + adjective + as when describing a noun (for example, 'Her English is as perfect as a native speaker's').
Use the structure as + adverb + as when describing an action verb (for example, 'She writes as beautifully as a professional author').