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Question

Difficulty: HardCollocations and Fixed Phrases

Read the sentence below carefully and determine the word that correctly completes the fixed English expression. Which verb properly completes the collocation in the context provided?

Answer:During the parliamentary debate, the opposition spokesman was quick to 【take】 umbrage at the minister's dismissive remarks regarding the economic reform proposal.

Answer

The correct verb to complete the fixed expression is 'take'.
In standard English, the fixed idiomatic collocation is 'to take umbrage at', which means to take offense or feel insulted by something. The verb 'take' is uniquely required by this noun phrase context.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context and identify the target noun 'umbrage' and preposition 'at'.
Recognize that 'umbrage at' forms a recognized idiomatic fixed expression meaning to become offended or take offense.
English fixed phrases rely on conventionalized lexical pairings that do not permit arbitrary verb substitution.
2
Select the verb that forms a standard, natural collocation with 'umbrage at'.
The standard fixed verb-noun collocation in British and formal English is 'to take umbrage at'.
Alternative verbs such as 'make', 'feel', 'have', or 'give' create ungrammatical or non-standard pairings when combined with 'umbrage'.

Key Concept

Fixed Verb-Noun Collocations
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Topics

Collocations and Fixed Phrases

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