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Difficulty: MediumAdjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

Which grammatically correct adverb modifier completes the blank space in the sentence below?

Answer:The regulatory agency warned that industrial effluent was being discharged 【indiscriminately】 into the local river system.

Answer

indiscriminately
The verb phrase 'was being discharged' expresses an action that must be modified by an adverb of manner. 'Indiscriminately' correctly fills the blank by specifying how the discharge took place.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the word being modified in the sentence structure.
The target to modify is the verb phrase 'was being discharged'.
Action verbs require adverbs, not adjectives, to specify the manner in which an action is conducted.
2
Determine the appropriate morphological form of the modifier.
The adverb form 'indiscriminately' is derived from the adjective 'indiscriminate'.
The suffix '-ly' is added to the adjective to form the manner adverb needed to modify the action verb.

Key Concept

Adverbial Modification of Action Verbs
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Topics

Adjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

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