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Errors in the tests


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Errors in the tests #316 (permalink) Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:38 am   Errors in the tests
 

Hi Charles,

Many thanks for that. I've changed the sentences as you suggested in our data base and the new version will appear on the site with the next sever update.
Regards,
Torsten
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Errors in the tests #317 (permalink) Thu Sep 11, 2008 21:44 pm   Errors in the tests
 

Hello MM and Torsten,

In this test, item 2, the idiom in the "correct" answer seems askew to me: I would say that "pay you back in your own coin" is the usual version, not "pay you back with your own coin".

In item 7 in the same test, meanwhile, I would have chosen "play nice", rather than the "correct" answer ("play politics"): "playing politics" implies dissimulatory scheming of some kind, whereas the context simply requires "not showing one's dislike".

What do you chaps think?

MrP
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Errors in the tests #318 (permalink) Thu Sep 11, 2008 22:27 pm   Errors in the tests
 

Hi Mr.P,
I don't agree with the phrase "pay you back in your own coin." I've never heard that phrase before. I've always heard "pay you back with your own coin." That's the right preposition to use - in my opinion.

As far as "playing politics," I think the answer is a good one because one of the idiom's definition is: "To deal with people in an opportunistic, manipulative, or devious way, as for job advancement." In the question, the speaker is referring to "a good lumber deal that they will get if they choose to 'get along' or play politics with another party.

However, I do think that both "play nice" and "play politics" are possible answers so that will be changed soon.
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Errors in the tests #319 (permalink) Thu Sep 11, 2008 22:48 pm   Errors in the tests
 

Quote:
I don't agree with the phrase "pay you back in your own coin." I've never heard that phrase before.


Hello Linda,

1. He often boasted to me what a terror he had been to certain husbands of his acquaintance; I perceived it would not now be difficult to pay him back in his own coin. (Charlotte Brontė)

2. "pay someone back in his etc. own coin", to punish someone for treating one badly by treating them in the same way. (Wordsworth Book of Idioms)

3. "paid in his own coin". Tit for tat. (Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable)

4. OED example: "To pay a slanderer in his own coin".

Google counts are notoriously unreliable; but nonetheless, "pay * back with * own coin" only musters 14 significant hits, while "pay * back in * own coin" manages 700-odd.

Best wishes,

MrP
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Errors in the tests #320 (permalink) Thu Sep 11, 2008 23:56 pm   Errors in the tests
 

Mr. P,
Thanks for the information - I've never heard it like that before. However, it sounds like old English or quite uncommon English to me. Because the other phrase that contains "with" is common, I think the question/answer choices should remain the same.
Take care.
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Errors in the tests #321 (permalink) Sat Sep 13, 2008 2:26 am   Errors in the tests
 

.
This OLD ONE still needs fixing, I think, Linda.

....To something like this?---

My grandmother ......... the wool for a beautiful blanket that she knitted by hand. I still have it today.

(a) spinned
(b) spun
(c) spint

.
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Errors in the tests #322 (permalink) Sat Sep 13, 2008 2:41 am   Errors in the tests
 

Mi MM,
Thanks for the reminder. It's fixed now.
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Errors in the tests #323 (permalink) Sat Sep 13, 2008 10:30 am   Errors in the tests
 

Hello Linda,

Linda wrote:
it sounds like old English or quite uncommon English to me


I agree that "...in his own coin" is quite uncommon, and is likely to sound old-fashioned. It would not surprise me to discover that it was chiefly BrE.

That said, while I can find many references in dictionaries to the "in" version, including the OED, the "with" version seems only to be listed by a couple of Russian dictionaries.

("In his own coin" of course means "in his own currency"; it may be that the more literal variant with "with" has arisen because of speakers' unfamiliarity with the original phrase.)

Best wishes,

MrP
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Errors in the tests #324 (permalink) Sat Sep 13, 2008 16:17 pm   Errors in the tests
 

.
The phrase "pay (him) back with (his) own coin" would not be a commonly used phrase in my neck of the woods. In fact, it sounds even more unlikely/uncommon to me than the British original. I'd say it would be more common to hear the idiom "pay back in kind" used here.
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Errors in the tests #325 (permalink) Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:49 am   Errors in the tests
 

Hi Torsten

There is a typo that needs fixing here:
http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic28909.html#done_my_piece_vs_done_my_bit
"I have done my bit and have spoken to the head of the chemistry department to have arrange for an independent chemist to review our work."

I'm not 100% sure what the intended wording was, but the "to have arrange for" part definitely needs to be repaired.
.
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Errors in the tests #326 (permalink) Fri Sep 19, 2008 18:01 pm   Errors in the tests
 

Hi

Although questions 1 and 2 form a single sentence in this test, there is a period/full stop at the end of the first sentence and the first word in question 2 has been capitalized.
http://www.english-test.net/esl/learn/english/grammar/ii074/esl-test.php
In other words, the period should be deleted in question 1 and the word "was" should not be capitalized in question 2.
.
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Errors in the tests #327 (permalink) Fri Sep 19, 2008 18:11 pm   Errors in the tests
 

Hi Amy,

Thanks a lot for that. I've made both changes as you suggested and you can see the Javascript versions here and here. You will see the changed 'all-in-one' versions of the tests once Slava updates the data base. It's amazing that we haven't seen the Christmas Postman typo for such a long time. Many thanks for notifying us ;-).

Regards,
Torsten
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Errors in the tests #328 (permalink) Fri Sep 19, 2008 18:24 pm   Errors in the tests
 

Hi Torsten

Normally, I'd have also mentioned a possible rethinking of the use of the word "because" in question 2 since that's the sort of thing that a student might lose points on in a standardized test. ;)

EDIT:
Your first link works, but the second one doesn't. No matter, though. It's nice to know that those corrections have been made.
.
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Errors in the tests #329 (permalink) Fri Sep 19, 2008 18:48 pm   Errors in the tests
 

Hi Amy,

Thanks for that -- I've corrected the second link so you can take a look at the test if you like.
Regards,
Torsten
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Errors in the tests #330 (permalink) Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:41 am   Errors in the tests
 

Salam all
I dont remember which test it was but it was one of the beginners' grammer tests that I think showed an incorrect answer as correct. It said something like "was listing" when it should have been "was listening"
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