WAEC 2019 English Language · Question 29

Mike was very glad … that he had won the lottery.

Question

choose the word or group of words that best completes each of the following sentences: Mike was very glad_________that he had won the lottery.

A.to hear
B.for hearing
C.at hearing
D.on hearing

Answer: A. to hear

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question The sentence is "Mike was very glad __ that he had won the lottery." We need the correct structure after the adjective "glad" that leads into a "that" clause.

Explain the concept When an adjective expressing emotion (glad, happy, sorry, sad, pleased, relieved) is followed by a reason for the feeling, we commonly use adjective + to-infinitive:

I was glad to see her.
She was sorry to learn of the accident.

The phrase "to hear that + clause" fits this pattern well: "glad to hear that..."

Step-by-step check of the options

A. to hear: "glad to hear that he had won the lottery" is natural and grammatically correct.
B. for hearing: "glad for hearing" is not idiomatic English. "Glad for" is usually followed by a person ("glad for you"), not an -ing form.
C. at hearing: "glad at hearing" is possible in older or formal English, but it is not idiomatic with "that he had won..." and is not the standard choice.
D. on hearing: "on hearing" means "as soon as he heard", and it is normally followed by a noun or object, not "that" in this way. "Glad on hearing that..." sounds awkward.

Answer: A. to hear

Tip: For feeling adjectives (glad, happy, sad, sorry, surprised), remember the pattern adjective + to + verb followed by "that...". Examples include "glad to hear that," "sorry to learn that," and "surprised to see that."

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