1. Well, the meat and .......... of the issue is that our competitors are able to produce a similar product at much less cost due to their buying supplies from China, John told the other company members during his presentation

2. I hope that we can save our marriage. We are going to counseling, but so far it has not helped. If only my husband would meet me .......... on some of our issues, we might be able to make our marriage work, Tina told Jessica.

3. Did you hear that Jim died? He went to meet his .......... last Thursday. We are taking his wife dinner this week. Would you care to come with us? Maude asked Elizabeth.

4. I enjoy playing chess with Derrick. I have finally met my .......... . Usually, I beat my opponent easily, but it is always a challenge to beat him, Adam said to his wife.

5. I went to watch Jay's band play and I didn't expect much. I didn't think that Jay would be able to sing, but he has a voice and lyrics that are guaranteed to melt your .........., Tina said to Jacky.

6. America has been described as a .......... pot. One reason for this is there are so many different cultures that live in close proximity to each other. The different cultures eventually have an effect on each other in which each incorporates aspects of the other.

7. I like John, but he has a .......... like a sieve. He forgets everything I tell him within minutes of hearing the information, his boss told his assistant

8. Steve and I have been able to finally mend our .......... . We have been mad at each other for about a year over something stupid, but we have finally go the problem resolved. It is no good for neighbors to be mad at each other for long periods of time, Jack told Nick.

9. That kid that attacked Officer Jefferson has been put away for a long time. If he thought that he could get away with it, he was wrong. Some people are saying that the sentence he received is too long for someone that young, but if you mess with a bull, you get the .........., Officer Mills told his wife.

10. Jim conducts business in a somewhat atypical and unconventional way, but there is a method to his .......... and he consistently gets more results than any of our other representatives, Bill told Jack.