Complete the following sentence using appropriate words or phrases.
1James went to see his old friend ............... to discover that he had already left.
Wrong!
The phrase "only" introduces an unexpected or disappointing result.
2The ties that bind us together are so ............... that they can rupture at any moment.
Wrong!
"Tenuous" means weak or easily broken, which fits ties that can rupture.
3There was nothing ............... about her reaction to his marriage proposal; she rejected it vehemently.
Wrong!
"Surprising" fits because her strong rejection was expected from the context.
4The directions that he gave us were so ............... that we didn’t know which of the two roads to take.
Wrong!
"Ambiguous" means unclear or having more than one possible meaning.
5It will be difficult for an ............... person to believe that all people are equal irrespective of caste, race, or religion.
Wrong!
An "intolerant" person is unlikely to accept equality across different groups.
6I met him only a week ...............
Wrong!
"Ago" is used to count back from the present time.
7She asked me ...............
Wrong!
In reported questions, "why I was angry" uses statement word order and backshifted tense.
8Despite receiving several warnings, he ............... to the office on time.
Wrong!
"Never comes" has the adverb before the main verb and agrees with the singular subject.
9He told his wife that ............... Germany.
Wrong!
"He would like to visit" is the natural reported form after a past reporting verb.
10The rich and the influential can ............... with murder.
Wrong!
"Get away" is used in the expression "get away with murder."
Answers
- James went to see his old friend only to discover that he had already left.
- The ties that bind us together are so tenuous that they can rupture at any moment.
- There was nothing surprising about her reaction to his marriage proposal; she rejected it vehemently.
- The directions that he gave us were so ambiguous that we didn’t know which of the two roads to take.
- It will be difficult for an intolerant person to believe that all people are equal irrespective of caste, race, or religion.
- I met him only a week ago.
- She asked me why I was angry.
- Despite receiving several warnings, he never comes to the office on time.
- He told his wife that he would like to visit Germany.
- The rich and the influential can get away with murder.
