1. Although we have the same rank, I am higher on the .......... order due to the fact that I have been put in charge of the project, Sergeant Wilkons said to the private who asked him for advice on how to deal with another sergeant.

2. I am sorry that I fell asleep in the meeting. I caught a .......... Tom outside of my window last night, and I called the cops. They were at my house investigating until 4 o'clock in the morning, Sally said to her boss.

3. Often social change cannot be brought about with brute force. An example of a situation in which the .......... has been more powerful than the sword is when Martin Luther challenged the Catholic church by writing a list of complaints and nailing them to the door of the church.

4. I am tired of hearing these .......... ante concerns from you. I did not call this meeting to discuss how we are out of coffee filters again. I called this meeting to ask you for solutions because the company may be going out of business! the manager yelled at the staff.

5. My husband is such a penny .......... . He is always telling me not to buy things for the house that we don't need because we have to save money. Most of my purchases are under ten dollars! Linda told Brandy.

6. I just gave Jenny a .......... talk about her performance and what she can do to improve. I think she understands and will improve, Jennifer told the boss.

7. He was ecstatic when he received a large, unexpected bonus from the company. The note attached to the check said "For consistent performance above and .......... what is expected from an employee."

8. A month ago, I told her that she had to improve her performance or she will lose her job. She really took the talk to .......... and has improved quite a bit, the supervisor told the manager.

9. Come with me to the lecture. I need company and you might actually learn something — .......... the thought! Lanna said to her boyfriend.

10. One of my pet .......... is people who chew with their mouths open. My boyfriend is the worst offender and it bothers me to no end, Lisa told her friend.