Incomplete Sentences

Intention:

Do you remember the fill in the blanks tasks and tests during elementary school? We had to find the precise words to complete the sentences. The following incomplete sentences exercise also has blanks to be filled in, but there are no right or wrong answers. When we complete sentences, we bring in what is meaningful to us. Sometimes the most interesting and revealing sentences come from answering quickly, as in free association. More thoughtful responses invite other levels of analysis. The following version of this exercise includes prompts taken from various sources. You can develop different prompts for additional sentences.

Instruction:

We recommend that we do this exercise by ourselves before doing it with others.

Complete the sentences on the following pages.

First, respond with your first thought or association.

Then, complete each sentence after spending some time thinking about it.

Notice your impressions of the process of completing the sentences.

Read the completed sentences and identify obvious and subtle trends and patterns.

Reflect on the experience with the questions below.

Inspection:

·       What did you recognize or learn about yourself in the process of doing this exercise?

·       Did you discover any general trends, themes, or patterns in how you completed the sentences?

·       How are the quick answers and the more thoughtful answers different?

·       What memories, thoughts, and questions were stimulated by this exercise?

·       What emotional reactions were evoked by this exercise?

·       What other sentence prompts would you add?

INCOMPLETE SENTENCES

I

You

People

The world

Animals

Food

Music

At home

Family

Friends

Work

I prefer

I desire

I wish

I fear

I love

I hate

I regret

I believe

I know

I don’t know

I seek

Now

Always

Never

The best

The worst

The past

The present

The future

Close by

Far away

Yes,

No,

Perhaps,

Please,

Thanks for

I’m sorry for

If I were someone else, I’d be

If I were a non-human animal, I’d be

If I were ruler of the world,

If I lived elsewhere,

If I could only be with one person, it would be with

If I could only have one thing, it would be

If only