In any crisis, the longer a person (a)   , the greater the danger is likely to become.

Even the most severe critics showered (a)   on the young writer for the remarkable narrative power of her first novel.

some of the episodes in the series were wonderfully fresh and original; others were just plain (a)   .

I don't object to the inclusion of anecdotes in a serious lecture, but the should at the very least be (a)   to the subject.

She received housing vouchers and food stamps as a result of the government's (a)   .

Despite the (a)   and nit-picking of a few petty minds, I feel we have substantially improved our local school system of late.

As a result of recent research, earlier theories about the origin of the universe are no longer (a)   .

An antonym for garrulous:

(a)  

A synonym for usurp:

(a)  

An antonym for embrace:

(a)