A combination of years of practice and __________ athletic ability has made her one of the best basketball players on the team.

The prophets of old fervently ___________ the people to amend their lives.

Representing an organization of senior citizens, the rally's keynote speaker __________ vehemently against conditions that rob the elderly of their dignity and independence.

Though fossils show that human beings have been on Earth a very, very long time, the earliest written records of their activities date back only about five ______

The voters of this city are looking for practical answers to urgent questions and will not respond to that kind of __________ rhetoric and pretentious claptrap.

How can we have any respect for people who try to __________ themselves with their superiors by flattery and favors?

"If you think my training rules are too ___________ and confining," the coach said, "then you probably shouldn't be a candidate for the team."

That dancer is very talented, but isn't it going rather far to call her "the very ______________ of feminine beauty and grace"?

Addressing the school assembly for the first time was a nerve-racking experience, but I managed to deliver my speech with a reasonable amount of