Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one. Some sentences have two correct answers. Choose both.
1The minister ............... that the leaked memo was authentic, but refused to say who had verified it.
Wrong!
Use a reporting verb that signals a firm denial in formal reporting.
2Several outlets ............... that the figures were massaged, though none produced the underlying dataset.
Wrong!
You need a verb that introduces an unconfirmed claim attributed to others.
3The spokesperson ............... to confirm whether the CEO had signed off on the settlement.
Wrong!
The natural collocation is to refuse to confirm something.
4According to two people briefed on the talks, the deal is ............... to be announced on Friday.
Wrong!
Use the standard passive reporting structure for expectations based on sources.
5The report ............... the decision to budget pressures, rather than to any change in policy.
Wrong!
Use the verb that means to say something was caused by a particular factor.
6In a carefully worded statement, the agency said it was ............... that any rules had been broken.
Wrong!
The phrase that creates distance is 'not aware' rather than stronger claims.
7The chair ............... that she had been misquoted, insisting the transcript told a different story.
Wrong!
You need a verb that means to say something is not true in response to a claim.
8He ............... to have seen the draft contract, but his timeline does not match the email trail.
Wrong!
Use the verb for reporting what someone says about themselves, often with skepticism.
9The memo was ............... to the press, yet no one will say by whom.
Wrong!
Use a passive form that indicates information was passed on unofficially.
10The analyst was careful to ............... her comments to what could be verified from filings.
Wrong!
Use the verb that means to limit or restrict what you say.
11The article ............... the accusation to unnamed insiders, distancing the newsroom from the claim.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both options are standard verbs for assigning a claim to a source.
12The dossier ............... the minister as having intervened, but it stops short of alleging illegality.
Select 2 answers.
Wrong!
Both options can introduce what a document says, without endorsing it.
Done.
Score: 0/12
Answers
- The minister denied that the leaked memo was authentic, but refused to say who had verified it.
- Several outlets alleged that the figures were massaged, though none produced the underlying dataset.
- The spokesperson refused to confirm whether the CEO had signed off on the settlement.
- According to two people briefed on the talks, the deal is expected to be announced on Friday.
- The report attributed the decision to budget pressures, rather than to any change in policy.
- In a carefully worded statement, the agency said it was not aware that any rules had been broken.
- The chair denied that she had been misquoted, insisting the transcript told a different story.
- He claimed to have seen the draft contract, but his timeline does not match the email trail.
- The memo was leaked to the press, yet no one will say by whom.
- The analyst was careful to confine her comments to what could be verified from filings.
- The article ascribed/attributed the accusation to unnamed insiders, distancing the newsroom from the claim.
- The dossier depicts/portrays the minister as having intervened, but it stops short of alleging illegality.
