Sentence completion exercises for aphasia
Sentence exercises give the brain a running start: the sentence supplies context, so the missing word is easier to reach than it would be from a blank page. That makes them a natural step between naming single words and holding a conversation. Below is a free four-sentence session you can play right now — no account, no download — plus the cueing ladder a practice partner can use and a printable version for off-screen days.
Fix the Sentence — free practice session
Each sentence has one wrong word. Type the word that fixes it — or type the whole corrected sentence. Both count.
The dog wagged its book.
One word is wrong. What should it be?
How to help without giving the answer
The hardest part of practicing with someone you love is not finishing their sentences. A cueing ladder solves that: start at the top and only move down a rung when they stall. Every rung down gives a little more help, so the person keeps as much of the retrieval as they can still do themselves.
- 1
Wait
(say nothing for 10 seconds)
Word retrieval is often slow rather than gone, so an unhurried pause frequently lets the word arrive. Sometimes it will not — if waiting turns into distress, move down a rung or simply give the word.
- 2
Point at the problem
“Something in there isn’t right — can you find it?”
Locating the error is its own skill, separate from repairing it.
- 3
Give the category
“It should be something you drive.”
A semantic cue narrows the search without handing over the word.
- 4
Give the first sound
“It starts with wh…”
A phonemic cue is often the smallest push that still leaves the retrieval to them.
- 5
Offer a choice
“Is it a wheel or a window?”
Recognition is easier than recall — this keeps the turn successful.
- 6
Model it, then hand it back
“Wheel. Can you say the whole sentence?”
Ending on their own production matters more than who supplied the word.
The ladder is a guide, not a rule. Some words will not come no matter how long anyone waits — after a stroke that is the condition, not a failure of effort. When a pause turns into frustration, hand over the word, take the win of a shared attempt, and move on.
Three levels, and when to move up
Level 1 — obvious mismatch
“The dog wagged its book.”
The wrong word is from a completely different category. Move up when they find and fix these without cues.
Level 2 — plausible but wrong
“I cut the paper with a banana.”
The sentence still makes grammatical sense, so the error has to be caught on meaning. Move up when cues are rarely needed.
Level 3 — subtle and longer
“He gathered his fishing pole, a tackle box, some bait, and a piano before heading to the lake.”
Longer sentences load memory as well as language. If frustration climbs, drop back a level — a level that is too hard teaches nothing.
In the full app these levels adjust on their own, based on how the last few answers went — so nobody has to decide when to move up.
Prefer paper?
The same sentences, in large print with an answer key and a page of cueing scripts for the practice partner — free, no email required.
Get the printable worksheetsPractice it out loud instead
Typing removes the part that conversation actually requires: getting the word out of your mouth. The full version of this exercise is spoken — you say the answer, the app listens, and it is built to credit the word you were reaching for even when it comes out distorted. It also reads each sentence aloud, tracks which sentences give trouble, and brings those back later.
Start practicing freeCommon questions
What are sentence completion exercises for aphasia?
They are practice activities where a sentence is incomplete or contains a wrong word, and the person fills in or repairs it. Because the sentence supplies context, they sit between single-word naming (easier) and open conversation (harder), which is why speech-language pathologists often use them as a bridge between the two.
Should the answer be spoken or written?
Both are useful and they exercise different things. Speaking practices the retrieval-plus-production chain that conversation needs; writing removes the timing pressure. The demo above accepts typing; the full app is built around saying the answer out loud.
What if they say the whole sentence instead of just the word?
That should count — and in the practice above it does. Saying the full corrected sentence is harder than saying the single word, so an exercise that only accepts a bare word marks the more advanced answer wrong. This is the single most common complaint about speech apps, and it is why the matcher here accepts the word, the phrase around it, the full sentence, or a plural.
How often should someone practice?
Short and frequent generally beats long and rare, and consistency matters more than any single session — but the right amount depends entirely on the person, their fatigue, and their stage of recovery. A speech-language pathologist can set a realistic target; sessions here are deliberately two to five minutes so practice fits the energy someone actually has.
Is this a replacement for speech therapy?
No. These are practice activities for between sessions. Diagnosis, goal setting, and a therapy plan belong with a licensed speech-language pathologist.
Where to learn more
Written by Riley Nocek, who built NeuroSpark for his father after a stroke and rewrote it around what actually happened when they practiced together.
Not written or reviewed by a speech-language pathologist. These are practice activities, not medical treatment — if you are working with a speech therapist, show them anything here before you use it.