It was so dark in the cinema that I could hardly ______ my friend.

Mr. Alexander doesn’t just write for fun; ______, writing is his bread and butter.

 Mr. Zhang once taught in a remote village in Anhui province as a volunteer, which was ______ only on foot.

No progress was made in the trade talk as neither side would accept the conditions of ________.

At the meeting, the old man _____ some good advice about bringing down the market price of housing.