Vocabulary & Grammar Flashcards

The scheduled press conference was _____ because the CEO was unavailable.

Answer: called off

'Call off' means to cancel a planned event; the other phrasal verbs carry entirely different meanings.

The linguist, _____ groundbreaking research transformed the field, retired last year.

Answer: whose

'Whose' is the possessive relative pronoun showing that the research belongs to the linguist.

Exposure to a second language from an early age can positively _____ cognitive development.

Answer: affect

'Affect' is the verb meaning to have an influence on something; 'effect' is most commonly used as a noun.

The committee chair suggested _____ the vote until all members could be present.

Answer: delaying

The verb 'suggest' must be followed by a gerund (-ing form), not a bare infinitive or to-infinitive.

_____ the considerable expense, most participants rated the training programme as worthwhile.

Answer: Despite

'Despite' is a preposition followed by a noun phrase; 'although' would require a full subject-verb clause.

When writing academically, researchers must always take _____ account the study's limitations.

Answer: into

'Take into account' is the fixed academic collocation meaning to consider or acknowledge something.

The documentary used _____ language to challenge viewers' assumptions about urban poverty.

Answer: provocative

The adjective 'provocative' correctly modifies the noun 'language'; 'provocated' is not a standard English word.