Google
English-Test.net
Find penpals and make new friends today!
 
to charge; to announce; to advertise
rescue
bill
auction
create
TOEIC test: Word games: Free Online Verb Quiz Answer
 
Username
Password
 Remember me? 
Search   FAQ   Memberlist   Profile   Private messages   Register   Log in 

some collocations with "chance" and "get there"



 
ESL/EFL Worksheets and Handouts for Students Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC
ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
Paragraph: 'It was the night of life and rejuvenation...' | Could you check and correct this testimonial, please?
Message Author
some collocations with "chance" and "get there" Sat Mar 17, 2007 20:30 pm  some collocations with "chance" and "get there"
 

Hi,
Which alternative is incorrect here?

1. They have every/good/little/no chance of winning.
2. You could easily/well/conceivably predictably get there in under two hours.

Thanks in advance
Anna
Annaa
I'm new here and I like it ;-)


Joined: 10 Mar 2007
Posts: 23
Location: Europe

some collocations with "chance" and "get there" Sat Mar 17, 2007 21:00 pm  some collocations with "chance" and "get there"
 

Which one do you think wouldn't fit?
Conchita
Language Coach


Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2823
Location: Madrid, Spain

What do you know about the progressive forms?English grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skillsLearn how to explore English words! Subscribe to free email English courseAre you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!
some collocations with "chance" and "get there" Sat Mar 17, 2007 21:13 pm  some collocations with "chance" and "get there"
 

I don't have a clue about this first one, for me each alternative would be correct, well maybe I would incline towards -little.
In second one -predictably?
Annaa
I'm new here and I like it ;-)


Joined: 10 Mar 2007
Posts: 23
Location: Europe

some collocations with "chance" and "get there" Sat Mar 17, 2007 21:38 pm  some collocations with "chance" and "get there"
 

1. They have every/good/little/no chance of winning.

'Good' is the odd one out here -- you would have to say, "They have a good chance of winning".

2. You could easily/well/conceivably/predictably get there in under two hours.

Curiously, all four options seem correct to me.
Conchita
Language Coach


Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2823
Location: Madrid, Spain

some collocations with "chance" and "get there" Sat Mar 17, 2007 21:48 pm  some collocations with "chance" and "get there"
 

I agree with Conchita about the first sentence. All of the options except 'good' are possible. With 'good', you would need to add the word 'a'.

In the second sentence, I'd say 'predictably' is the odd man out. It's not so much that you "cannot" use that word in the sentence -- I just don't think it likely at all. It sounds very odd.
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8265
Location: USA

some collocations with "chance" and "get there" Sat Mar 17, 2007 23:51 pm  some collocations with "chance" and "get there"
 

Yankee wrote:
In the second sentence, I'd say 'predictably' is the odd man out. It's not so much that you "cannot" use that word in the sentence -- I just don't think it likely at all. It sounds very odd.

Could it be a matter of tenses? After going over it again and again, I still think the adverb 'predictably' could be used in the sentence as another way of saying the following, for example:

As everyone predicted, you were able to get there in under two hours.

What do you think?
Conchita
Language Coach


Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2823
Location: Madrid, Spain

some collocations with "chance" and "get there" Sun Mar 18, 2007 2:32 am  some collocations with "chance" and "get there"
 

Hi Conchita

I also rolled that one around in my head and just couldn't put my finger on precisely what disturbed me about using 'predictably'. But my feeling is that the oddness is mainly connected with the presence of the conditional 'could' in the sentence.

I agree that you can say As everyone predicted, you were able to get there in under two hours. And there's also nothing odd with I predict you will be able to get there in under two hours. You could also say Predictably, they arrived in under two hours.

So, yes, one way or another, the tense seems to create a problem for using 'predictably' in the original sentence.
What do you think about 'could' as the main problem?

Amy
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8265
Location: USA

some collocations with "chance" and "get there" Sun Mar 18, 2007 12:50 pm  some collocations with "chance" and "get there"
 

Yankee wrote:
What do you think about 'could' as the main problem?

Still trying to sort this one out:

1. You can predictably get there in under two hours:

Someone has predicted you can (why not could?) get there in under two hours =
Someone has predicted you are able/it's possible for you to do so, but they don't say if it's going to happen.

2. You will predictably get there in under two hours:

Someone has predicted you will get there in under two hours =
They say it's going to happen.

It's your move now! Smile
Conchita
Language Coach


Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 2823
Location: Madrid, Spain

Display posts from previous:   
Paragraph: 'It was the night of life and rejuvenation...' | Could you check and correct this testimonial, please?
ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms some collocations with "chance" and "get there" All times are GMT + 2 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Latest topics on English Forums
Urdu: 'Introduce one's coin', 'Prove one's iron'Proverb: "Rise early, work late and strike oil"Position of ONLY: I drink milk only vs. I only drink milk vs. I drink only milkapologize to a professorproposition vs. proposal?Some more questions from 'The Jungle Book'never should vs should neverUsing 'must' in the simple past?let vs alloweddramatic and dramaticalCould you please amend this certificate?How to indicate a date?usage of the verb "mind"Need help with phrase: "I'll do the rest"meaning of ovenIs it right to grammar rules "you go get it?"Difference between 'to' and 'for'Money's too tight to mention :-)some collocations with "chance" and "get there"

Discover English-test.net
Uniting Engineers Across the World!Why not "since you've been here"?'It's quite common to hear a programmer say' : subjunctive?Different personality for different language.It's about time you sell that old car and buy yourself a new oneGRE Verbal Quiz: Games to teach English Vocabulary: Verb Adjective ListsGRE prep test: Word quizes: Free Online Verb Adjective GameMeaning of ruminate, abash, bask, brook, maim, incorporate, championDefinition of purchase, exercise, chase, candidate, change, persuade, break, exact, third, hostageFree EFL Quiz Online: My ThoughtsSpeaking second language: Business buzzwords: A 'Non-institution'Bill Rutkoski, Tommy Blaze, and Jay Charbonneau at Rascals Comedy Club audiobook download

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Subscribe to FREE email English course
First name E-mail