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Question

Difficulty: MediumAdjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

Complete the sentence below by supplying the most grammatically appropriate adverb in the blank space.

Answer:Despite working 【late】 into the night to finalize the regional environmental report, the research team could barely cover all the affected zones.

Answer

late
The adverb 'late' correctly functions to show that the action of working continued far into the night. Unlike many adverbs, 'late' retains its adverbial form without adding '-ly' when denoting time past the customary hour.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context to determine the required function of the modifier in the phrase 'working ... into the night'.
The word must serve as an adverb of time modifying 'working' and indicating a duration extending far into the evening.
The modifier describes how far into the night the action continued.
2
Evaluate the morphological distinction between 'late' and 'lately'.
'Late' functions as both an adjective and an adverb meaning near the end of a period of time, whereas 'lately' means 'recently'.
Using 'lately' in this sentence would erroneously mean 'working recently into the night', which is semantically incorrect. The correct flat adverb form is 'late'.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between flat adverbs ('late') and '-ly' adverbs with distinct meanings ('lately').
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Adjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

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