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[blacknomi]

The driver didn't _____ kindly to Teddy's critisim and he showed up about 40 minutes later at Teddy's house with four of his friends all _____ baseball bats and knives. One of them actually held a knife to Teddy's wife's throat. When Teddy reported the incident to the police, they naturally took their _____ time _____ showing up, but surprisingly they eventually arrested and charged the driver.

1. make
2. take
3. do
(I don't understand this phrasal verb.)


1. sporting
2. bringing
3. making
(I'd say #2, but the answer is #1, I can't figure it out.)



1. hard
2. sharp
3. bitter
4. sweet
( Answer #4. What does it mean? )


1. in
2. on
3. to
4. over
( Answer #1. What does it mean?)



Thank you in advance.

[Francois]

take to sb/sth (LIKE) phrasal verb
to start to like someone or something:
His wife took to her new neighbours at once.
She's taken to tennis like a duck to water (= she likes it and is good at it).

To sport means to wear, to have on oneself.

to take one's sweet time (didn't know this one either).

1. in
2. on
3. to
4. over
( Answer #1. What does it mean?)

To take one's time in doing something; to take time to do it.

FRC

[MikeNewYork]

The driver didn't _____ kindly to Teddy's critisim and he showed up about 40 minutes later at Teddy's house with four of his friends all _____ baseball bats and knives. One of them actually held a knife to Teddy's wife's throat. When Teddy reported the incident to the police, they naturally took their _____ time _____ showing up, but surprisingly they eventually arrested and charged the driver.

1. make
2. take
3. do
(I don't understand this phrasal verb.)

The idiom "take kindly" means to "accept favorably" or "look with favor upon". Didn't take kindly means "didn't like" "objected to".

1. sporting
2. bringing
3. making
(I'd say #2, but the answer is #1, I can't figure it out.)

Sprting means "wearing". It is like that the individuals wore the hats and didn't just bring them.

1. hard
2. sharp
3. bitter
4. sweet
( Answer #4. What does it mean? )

"Taking one's sweet time" is a criticism of something taking too long. It likely comes from "savoring" the time, rather than hurrying.

1. in
2. on
3. to
4. over
( Answer #1. What does it mean?)

As with many prepositions, the choice is largely idiomatic. We could say "to come" or "in coming" (infinitive vs. preposition + gerund)

[blacknomi]

Hm. "Take one's sweet time". Interesting.

How can one wear baseball bats? It seems to me that if someone is sporting baseball bats and knives, he is going to start a fight soon. Thus, 'sporting' fits in this context better than 'bringing'. And 'bringing' is not too wrong though. Right?

[Francois]

Verb 1. sport - wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner

Bring doesn't fit IMO. You bring cakes to a party for instance. Cambridge dict says "to take or carry someone or something to a place or a person, or in the direction of the person speaking". If you play tennis, you bring a racket to your club, but when you play you do not bring a racket; you hold it.
However, 'sport' fits insofar as they 'display their bats/knives ostentatiously'.

FRC

[blacknomi]

It's very clear. Thank you, FRC.

:)

[bmo]

Verb 1. sport - wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner

Bring doesn't fit IMO. You bring cakes to a party for instance. Cambridge dict says "to take or carry someone or something to a place or a person, or in the direction of the person speaking". If you play tennis, you bring a racket to your club, but when you play you do not bring a racket; you hold it.
However, 'sport' fits insofar as they 'display their bats/knives ostentatiously'.

FRC

Good explanation Francois. The keyword is "showing up." The five hoolums are already there, so carrying, which is not a choice, would be acceptable too. However, bringing isn't, as it pertains to move from one place to another, and in this case, the five have arrived.

[blacknomi]

The manager never listens to me because I'm a female, and all my colleagues are nothing but _____ yes men.

(1) borwn-nosed
(2) brown-nosing

I chose (2) intuitively. I'm wondering if (1) is accepted because I think it's OK to use past-participle to modify a person noun.

[blacknomi]

Most Westerners adapt to _____ in Taiwan with ralative ease, although I'm sure most of us have had great diffulty at some time or another.

(1) live
(2) lives
(3) living
(4) alive


The answer is (1). I think it's wrong. The answer should be 'life' or 'living' because 'to' functions as a preposition. What do you think?

[Francois]

I agree with you.

FRC