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Difficulty: MediumCollocations and Fixed Phrases

Complete the sentence below by filling in the blank with the word that forms the correct fixed English collocation.

Answer:The severe tropical storm threatened to 【wreak】 havoc on the coastal farming communities.

Answer

The word that correctly completes the fixed collocation is 'wreak', forming the expression 'wreak havoc'.
In standard British English, the verb 'wreak' uniquely collocates with the noun 'havoc' to form the fixed phrase 'wreak havoc', which means to cause great damage, disruption, or destruction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key noun requiring a collocating verb in the sentence context.
The target noun is 'havoc', followed by the preposition 'on'.
In standard English, specific nouns combine with designated verbs to form fixed collocational patterns.
2
Select the standard verb that conventionally pairs with 'havoc'.
'Wreak' is the established verb that collocates with 'havoc' to mean causing widespread destruction or damage.
Using alternative verbs such as 'wreck', 'make', or 'raise' with 'havoc' creates unnatural or ungrammatical pairings in formal English.

Key Concept

Verb-Noun Collocations and Fixed Phrases
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Collocations and Fixed Phrases

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