Read the following text and fill in the gaps with the verb that best
fits each space using the correct verb form of the verbs below. There
are TWO extra verbs you will not need. The activity begins with an
example (0).
be, take, say, call, persuade, turn out, entertain, have, offer, indulge, strike, feel, look, revolt, find, date,
A new app (0) offers to help single people (1) a partner by uniting them not with others who like the same things, such as opera, vegan sausages and pedigree cats, but with people who share their dislikes.
It (2) Hater and (3) me as quite brilliant. ‘Likes’ tell you nothing about anyone. ‘Good food, great music, and lively conversation…’. ‘Laughter, red wine, and French movies…’. Ugh. The idea that a romantic life together is about sharing your stupid hobbies is deluded and childish. Love is about making something completely new out of two separate individuals, not finding activities those two individuals can do together (4) their minds off how boring and unsexy the other one (5).
My wife and I have absolutely no interests in common. None. But we do love hating things together. From the moment she (6) in my eyes, she could sense that I (7) by theatre, motorcyclists, tall people, and (8) at home. Just as I knew from the first kiss that this was a woman who (9) no time for sandals on men, skiing, supermarket own-brand loo paper, or poached fish. Indeed, it later (10) that the main thing she liked about me was that I laughed when she was rude about our friends, whereas all her previous boyfriends (11), ‘Why can’t you just be nice?’
But being nice is meaningless. Liking things is weak. Our natural human hatred of things should (12) every day. Hating is natural and fine and people want to do it. Celebrate the things you dislike every day and you (13) much better – and probably find love.
KEY
1. find/ to find
2. ’s called
3. strikes
4. to take
5. is
6. looked
7. was revolted
8. entertaining
9. had
10. turned out
11. had said
12. be indulged
13. ’ll feel
EXTRA VERBS: date, persuade
