English usage – sentence improvement: Choose the best replacement for the idiomatic expression 'hell bent at getting' so that the sentence reads naturally and grammatically.

Verbal Ability Sentence Improvement Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
  • A
    hell bent on getting
  • B
    hell bent for getting
  • C
    hell bent upon getting
  • D
    No improvement

Answer

Correct Answer: hell bent on getting

Explanation

Given sentence'The workers are hell bent at getting what is due to them.'

Concept/ApproachThe fixed idiom is 'hell-bent on + gerund/noun'. Prepositions 'at' or 'for' are nonstandard here; 'upon' is formal but less idiomatic than 'on' in contemporary usage.

Step-by-step correctionReplace 'at' → 'on': 'The workers are hell bent on getting what is due to them.'

Common pitfallsUsing 'for' after 'hell bent' is incorrect; 'upon' is grammatically acceptable but markedly formal and not the conventional collocation.

Final Answerhell bent on getting

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