noun
ADJECTIVE
▪ considerable , great , major
▪ bitter , fierce ( esp. BrE ), heated , intense , raging
▪ growing
▪ fresh , further , new , renewed
▪ current , recent
▪ continued , continuing , long-standing , ongoing
▪ public
▪ academic , critical , scholarly ( esp. BrE )
▪ ethical , legal , political , scientific
▪ religious , theological
VERB + CONTROVERSY
▪ arouse , cause , create , engender , excite ( esp. BrE ), generate , give rise to
▪
What they are doing is bound to stir up ~.
▪ fuel , ignite , provoke , spark , spark off , stir , stir up , trigger
▪ be dogged by ( esp. BrE ), be marked by , be surrounded by
▪
This year's championships have been marked by ~.
▪ avoid , shy away from
▪
The president seemed anxious to avoid ~ about these appointments.
▪ end , quell , resolve , settle
▪
Public funding could resolve the ~ surrounding campaign finance.
▪ run into ( BrE )
▪
The network ran into ~ over claims of faked documentary footage.
▪ be no stranger to
▪
Ms Benjamin, who is no stranger to ~ herself, said the scandal could have serious repercussions.
▪ court
▪
The singer deliberately courts ~ with his lyrics.
CONTROVERSY + VERB
▪ arise , break out , erupt
▪
A fierce ~ has broken out over the issue.
▪ rage
▪
Controversy is raging over the route of the new road.
▪ exist
▪
Controversy exists as to how safe these drugs are.
▪ continue , persist
▪
Today, the ~ continues over whether Shakespeare wrote all his plays.
▪ centre/center on sth
▪
The ~ centred/centered on the issue of compensation for the victims.
▪ surround sth
▪
Much ~ surrounds the new exam.
PREPOSITION
▪ amid ~
▪
He has resigned amid continuing ~ over his expense claims.
▪ ~ about , ~ concerning , ~ over
▪
There has been a lot of ~ over the use of these drugs.
▪ ~ among
▪
~ among historians
▪ ~ between
▪
~ between the two leaders
▪ ~ surrounding
▪
the bitter ~ surrounding the introduction of the new regulations
▪ ~ with
▪
her long-running ~ with fellow academics
PHRASES
▪ a matter of ~ , a source of ~ , a subject of ~
▪ a firestorm of ~ ( AmE ), a storm of ~
▪
The book raised a storm of ~.