The children were told to ___ the dog gently so as not to frighten it.

After the long hike, the man complained that his shirt was soaked with ___.

The room smelled ____, as if the food had been left there for days.

He couldn’t stop himself from ___ at the embarrassing comment during the meeting.

The boy ___ on the button repeatedly to turn off the alarm.

I heard her ___ that she was too tired to continue, but she didn’t say it loudly.

She ___ to the teacher about the unfair grading system.

The director ___ on starting the meeting on time despite the delay.

Her voice was so loud that it was almost ___.

He ___ to sell the house if the tenants didn’t pay the rent on time.

She felt a strange ___ that something bad was about to happen.

After losing the match, the athlete ___ bitterly about the referee’s decision.

He ___ that he was innocent of all the accusations made against him.

The shy student began to ___ when asked to answer the difficult question.