1. Mary insisted ______ taking the train because she is afraid of flying and prefers traveling on the ground.

2. Richard’s colleagues suspected him ______ stealing the money, but they said nothing as they had no proof.

3. The scientist demanded extra ______ from the people who were moving his laboratory equipment to ensure nothing broke.

4. When I give the ______, everyone should jump out and shout “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” to surprise him.

5. If we had been given a couple of days’ ______ about the meeting, we would have been more organised.

6. The two students were given a(n) ______ not to fight again in the school grounds, or they would be suspended.

7. Some people don’t pay ______ to their pets’ needs and forget that animals require a lot of ______ and affection.

8. This is a very expensive and delicate piece of equipment, so it must be handled with ______ at all times.

9. Some European cars are expensive to ______, yet they ______ to be extremely popular despite the costs.

10. The customer ______ on seeing the manager because the staff were so unhelpful and rude to her.

11. We repaired our old TV set, but it only ______ for two months before it broke down again.

12. Personally, I think it’s cruel to ______ large animals in small flats where they don't have enough space.

13. If Sandra ______ in making trouble and bothering others, the headmaster will call her parents.

14. In case of an earthquake, it is vital that people should ______ calm and follow the safety instructions.

15. My family decided to buy a large watchdog to ______ our property from potential burglars.

16. My mother is very strict; she ______ us tidy our rooms every Saturday morning before we can go out.

17. All trains were ______ for over two hours due to a sudden power failure on the main line.

18. I had to ______ all my appointments for the rest of the week as I was ill and couldn't leave the house.

19. Joel’s busy with his project today, so we have to ______ the meeting until next Friday.

20. Car manufacturers go to great lengths to keep their ______ satisfied with both the product and the service.

21. The ______ of the party looked after his ______ extremely well, making sure everyone had enough to eat.

22. The art gallery is open to ______ from 10 am to 5 pm every day except Monday.

23. Most of the lawyer’s ______ were rich and famous people who needed help with their legal contracts.

24. The heavy traffic and the delay at the airport has put us ______ for our business trip.

25. If you had asked for directions ______ instead of trying to find the way yourself, we wouldn’t be lost now.