- Fill in the blanks (i) – (iii) with the appropriate option from those given in the brackets. Renewable energy is essential to the world's efforts to (i) _ (reduce/reducing/reduced) dependence on fossil fuels.
- Fill in the blanks (i) – (iii) with the appropriate option from those given in the brackets. Renewable energy is essential to the world's efforts to (i) _ (reduce/reducing/reduced) dependence on fossil fuels.
Options
reduce — the infinitive marker 'to' (showing purpose: 'efforts to _ dependence') must be followed by the base verb form, so 'reduce' is correct; 'reducing' needs a preposition and 'reduced' is a past form.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for the correct verb form 'reduce'.
- 2No mark for 'reducing' or 'reduced'.
- 3Spelling must be correct; award the mark only for the exact base form 'reduce'.
Hint
The word before the blank is the infinitive marker 'to', so use the base form of the verb.
Quick Oral Answer
'Reduce' — because the blank follows the infinitive marker 'to', which is always followed by the base form of the verb, giving the purpose infinitive 'to reduce dependence on fossil fuels'.
Analysis & Explanation
The blank follows the infinitive marker 'to', which is always completed by the base form of the verb.
Concept
- 'To' before a bare verb here is an infinitive marker showing purpose ('efforts to _ dependence'), not a preposition.
- Infinitive 'to' + base verb is a fixed rule: 'to reduce', never 'to reducing' or 'to reduced'.
Key Points
- Test: insert 'in order to' before the blank — 'efforts in order to reduce dependence' confirms the base form is needed.
- 'reducing' would only fit after a true preposition ('committed to reducing', 'a way of reducing'); 'reduced' is a past form and cannot follow infinitive 'to' at all.
Common Mistakes (परीक्षा में सावधानी)
- Confusing infinitive 'to' with prepositional 'to', which wrongly suggests a gerund ('reducing') is needed.
Real-World Application
- This purpose-infinitive construction ('efforts/plans/steps to + verb') is extremely common in formal and academic English, which is why it is frequently tested.
Common Mistakes
- 1Choosing 'reducing', wrongly treating 'to' as a preposition — it is an infinitive marker here, so the gerund is incorrect.
- 2Choosing 'reduced', confusing the past/participle form with the base form required after infinitive 'to'.
- 3Relying on how the sentence 'sounds' instead of applying the rule that 'to' as an infinitive marker always takes the base verb.
Previously Asked
Fill in the blanks: Prerna and Sushil (i) ___________ (has/have/had) spent years together. On growing up they (ii) ___________ (had got/have got/got) separated and went their own ways. Sushil (iii) ___________ (becomes/became/had become) a well-known sports personality...
Fill in the blanks: Gavri was only eight years old, but (a) ________ mountain of family responsibilities had already (b) ________ (c) ________ her head.
Interesting Facts
The 'infinitive of purpose' (to + base verb, meaning 'in order to') is one of the most common infinitive uses in English and can almost always be tested by substituting 'in order to'.
The confusion between 'to reduce' and 'to reducing' arises because English uses the word 'to' for two different jobs — an infinitive marker (to + verb) and a preposition (to + noun/gerund, e.g. 'look forward to reducing').
This gap-fill sits within a renewable-energy passage, tying the grammar section thematically to the paper's climate-change letter (Q5b), a common trend of using contemporary, real-world contexts in CBSE grammar items.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'reduce' correct and not 'reducing'?
Because the blank comes right after the infinitive marker 'to' ('efforts to ___ dependence'), and infinitive 'to' is always followed by the base form of the verb, giving 'to reduce'. 'Reducing' would need a preposition like 'of' or 'committed to' before it.
How can I quickly tell if I need the base verb after 'to'?
Try inserting 'in order to' before the blank. 'Efforts in order to reduce dependence' makes sense, confirming a purpose infinitive that needs the base form 'reduce'.
When would 'reducing' be correct after 'to'?
Only when 'to' is a preposition, as in 'committed to reducing emissions' or 'the key to reducing pollution'. There 'to' takes a gerund (verb + ing), unlike the infinitive marker in this sentence.