You are given an English sentence with a blank, and you need to predict the missing word. After completing, the whole sentence should be gramatically correct and non-ambiguous.

[EX Q]: so matthew and i have talked it over off and on ever since we thought we'd get a boy matthew is getting up in years you know he's sixty and he isn't so spry ____ he once was his heart troubles him a good deal and you know how desperate hard it's got to be to get hired help
[EX A]: as

[EX Q]: maybe they were out of boys of the brand you wanted he walked jauntily away being hungry and the unfortunate matthew was left to do that which was harder for him than bearding a lion in its den walk up to a girl a strange girl ____ orphan girl
[EX A]: an

[EX Q]: matthew enjoyed the drive after his own fashion except during the moments when he met ____ and had to nod to them for in prince edward island you are supposed to nod to all and sundry you meet on the road whether you know them or not matthew dreaded all women except marilla and missus rachel
[EX A]:
women