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
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Ahell bent on getting
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Bhell bent for getting
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Chell bent upon getting
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DNo 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