Sentence Completion: Understanding 'Shone' and 'Shown'

The given question asks us to select the most appropriate words to fill the blanks in the sentence: “His face ___________ with joy when the solution of the puzzle was _______ to him.” To correctly fill these blanks, we need to understand the distinct meanings and uses of the words 'shone' and 'shown'.

'Shone' Verb Form: Meaning and Usage

• 'Shone' is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'shine'.
• The verb 'shine' means to emit light, to glow, or to become bright.
• When referring to a person's face, 'shone' suggests that the face brightened or glowed due to a strong emotion, like joy or excitement.
• Example: "Her eyes shone with tears." or "The moon shone brightly."

'Shown' Verb Form: Meaning and Usage

• 'Shown' is the past participle of the verb 'show'.
• The verb 'show' means to present, to reveal, or to make something visible.
• It implies an action where something is displayed or made known to someone else.
• Example: "He was shown the new designs." or "The way was shown to them."

First Blank: "His face _______ with joy"

• In this part of the sentence, we are describing how the person's face reacted to joy.
• A face doesn't 'show' with joy in this context; rather, it brightens or glows.
• The word 'shone' fits perfectly here, indicating that his face became radiant or bright due to his happiness. It describes the appearance of his face.

Second Blank: "the solution of the puzzle was _______ to him"

• Here, we are talking about the action performed on the solution of the puzzle.
• A solution is typically revealed, presented, or made known to someone.
• The word 'shown' is the correct choice, as it means the solution was revealed or presented to him. It describes the act of making the solution visible or understandable.

Final Solution: Combining 'Shone' and 'Shown'

By applying the correct meanings and usages to each blank, we can determine the best words to complete the sentence.

Therefore, the complete sentence that makes the most sense grammatically and contextually is: “His face shone with joy when the solution of the puzzle was shown to him.”