Fill in the blanks with the words from the box. You may need to change the form of the words. You may need to use one word more than once.
| notice | the | neglect | in | from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| against | mend | require | tear | epitome |
A stitch in time saves nine. It is a proverb. It is the (a) ______ of using and misusing time. If a piece of cloth is (b) ______ even slightly, it should be stitched at once. Otherwise the tear will get wider and wider and may (c) ______ more stitches to repair it. The tear may even get too wide for (d) ______ and the cloth may get altogether useless. So the proverb teaches us to take prompt action (e) ______ all ills at their earlier stage. This will save us (f) ______ serious troubles in the future. When a person feels ill, he should take proper steps from the very first to control the illness. Otherwise, the illness may take an acute turn. What could have been cured with a few doses of medicine taken in time may end (g) ______ death in spite of the best but untimely medical help. The same is (h) ______ case with the evil habit of man. It can be easily checked at the early stage. If it is (i) ______ at this stage, it takes deep root and cannot be shaken off. So prompt steps should be taken whenever anything wrong is (j) ______.