Which word should replace the underlined word? “We finished writing the lab report, and [than] we cleaned the beakers.”

Use Standard Grammar, Usage, and Spelling to Edit · TELPAS Grades 10–12 writing. The correct answer, and the reasoning behind it.

Reporting category 2: find and fix an error in a short text. On the real test some of these are typed answers or sentence rewrites. Here they are multiple choice so they can be checked.

The question

Choose the best answer.

Read the sentence. The underlined word has an error. We finished writing the lab report, and [than] we cleaned the beakers. Which word should replace the underlined word?

• Athat
• BthenCorrect answer
• Cthere
• Dwhen

Why “then” is correct

This tests a commonly confused pair. "Than" is used to compare ("harder than"), while "then" tells what happened next. The sentence describes two actions in order, so it needs "then."

Why the other answers are wrong

• that — "And that we cleaned the beakers" is not a complete idea.
• there — "There" refers to a place, but the sentence needs a word about time.
• when — "And when we cleaned the beakers" leaves the sentence unfinished.

Practice more of this

More writing practice for Grades 10–12, or see the TELPAS practice test for 10th–12th grade.