I cannot put up … his saucy behaviour.

Analyze the question: The sentence is "I cannot put up __ his saucy behaviour." We need the preposition that correctly completes the phrasal verb put up.

Explain the concept: English has many phrasal verbs, where a verb and a preposition together carry a special meaning. Put up can mean different things depending on the word that follows it:

• put up with = tolerate, endure, accept something unpleasant
• put up at = stay temporarily in a place
• put up for = offer something for sale or nominate someone

Solution:

1. "Saucy behaviour" means cheeky or disrespectful conduct, which is something unpleasant.
2. The sentence says the speaker "cannot" do something about it, so the meaning is "cannot tolerate."
3. The phrasal verb meaning "tolerate" is put up with.

Checking the options:

• A. put up on: not a correct phrasal verb here
• B. put up with: correct, meaning "tolerate"
• C. put up from: incorrect
• D. put up by: incorrect

Correct sentence: "I cannot put up with his saucy behaviour."

Tip: Link "put up with" to the idea of tolerating. In exams, if the sentence is about bearing something annoying, such as noise, rudeness, or bad behaviour, think "put up with." Similar phrasal verbs with with include cope with, bear with, and deal with.