Errors in the tests

[Mister Micawber]

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Is 'married to' correct in the test writer's English? It is not in mine. Please see: http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic21217.html#69624
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Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber

[Yankee]

[Torsten]

Hi Amy and Charles,

Thanks a lot for pointing out these things, we'll make the changes soon.
Regards,
Torsten
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Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

Hi Torsten

Test question 1 was corrected incorrectly in this test:
http://www.english-test.net/esl/learn/english/grammar/ii149/esl-test.php

The word 'us' was added, but it landed in the wrong place. It should read this way:
Can you please ......... us some money until we get paid next week?

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I've also got a question about the second question in the same test. That sentence currently reads this way:
I decided to invest in the commodities market as the ......... on offer from bank was at an all time low.

Something is missing. You could change it to "the bank" or "the banks" or "banks", for example.

I would also hyphenate the word "all-time".
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Slava]

Hi Amy,
many thanks for your corrections.
Slava

[Yankee]

http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic21265.html#69771

It is standard to capitalize the names of the various departments in the US government. The Department of Commerce (which is also referred to as the Commerce Department) should be capitalized.

At the state level, this sort of name would also be capitalized. For example, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.
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_________________
Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Torsten]

Hi Amy,

Thanks a lot for pointing this out, we'll change it soon.
Regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

http://www.english-test.net/esl/learn/english/grammar/ae034/esl-test.php
I'm a bit confused. This test is called "American Slang", but some of the usages are standard. Shouldn't a test on "slang" also have sentences in which the words are used with a slang meaning?
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Tom]

Hi Amy

Thanks.

Could you please tell me about the standard words in the tests which have been confused as "slang"?

Tom

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

To me, the usages in sentences 2, 3 and 6, for example, are not slang.
In sentence 2, the verb hustle is used with a standard meaning, but it also has a slang meaning:
to sell or get by questionable or aggressive means; to obtain by deceitful or illicit means; to misrepresent:
He doesn't have a job or a steady income. He survives by hustling the money he needs.

In sentence 3, the word 'in' seems to be portrayed as being slang, yet the use of 'in' to mean fashionable is quite normal. At most, it might be considered somewhat informal.

In sentence 6, the usage of the word 'intense' is not something that seems even remotely slang to me. A slang usage, for example, might be as an interjection meaning "That's cool!" or "Wow!" or as an adjective with a meaning similar to cool.

That's my take.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Torsten]

Hi Amy,

Thanks a lot for all your feedback -- I'll go through it more thoroughly soon.
Regards,
Torsten
PS: I like your new avatar. Have you created it yourself?
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Yankee]

[Yankee]

Another typo was pointed out here:
http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic21470.html
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Mister Micawber]

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I can't seem to find a Holiday Greetings thread, so I'll post it here-- a brief hiatus of amity:

Season's Greetings to all, and may your 2008 be filled with comfort and joy!

MM

(I received a cup-warmer as a Christmas gift from my son-- it plugs into my computer-- so that my coffee will stay warm when I am typing and forget to drink it. What a good idea!)
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Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mr. Micawber

[Yankee]

I hope everyone's holidays are relaxing and enjoyable.

And may your 2008 be filled with lots of nice warm coffee, MM.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English