In a long sentence, isolate the clause containing the blank and identify its subject and main verb. If a later verb already completes the clause, the blank often requires a participle that introduces a modifying phrase rather than another finite verb. Ignore intervening details until the core structure is clear.
Hints
- Hint 1
Locate the relative clause
Focus on the part of the sentence beginning with “whose daily entries.”
- Hint 2
Find the predicate
Determine which later verb expresses what the daily entries do for ecologists.
- Hint 3
Check the sentence structure
Once the clause's main verb is identified, decide whether the blank needs another main verb or a modifier.
Step-by-step
- Step 1
Identify the subject and main verb
In the relative clause, “daily entries” is the subject, and “provide” is its main verb: the entries “provide evidence.”
- Step 2
Determine the blank's function
Because the clause already has the main verb “provide,” the blank cannot contain another finite verb without a conjunction. It must begin a modifying phrase describing what the entries contain.
- Step 3
Choose the participle
“Recording” functions as a participle and correctly modifies “daily entries”: the entries recording the dates and shifts provide evidence.