Queries: A volcano ... smoke, lava, and ash; etc.

[Nessie]

Hi all,

There are some questions from my test at school which I don't understand. Please help me make clear of them

1. He's afraid ... alone at night
a. of going out
b. to go out
c. both A and B are correct
d. both A and B are wrong

=> I think the answer for this question must be c, but they say it's b. Why isn't a correct?

2/ A volcano ... smoke, lava, and ash
a. blows
b. emits
c. erupts
d. releases

=> I know the meaning of "erupt", but I just wonder if the word can be used as a transitive verb because it seems a bit awkward to me

3/ In some areas when the trees are gone, the land ... desert
a. gets
b. changes
c. turns
d. becomes

=> The answer for this is c, but I wonder if it is right, and why d is wrong. Is it because "turn desert" is a fixed expression?

Many thanks for your help.
Nessie

[Mister Micawber]

.
1-- I think the answer for this question must be c, but they say it's b. Why isn't a correct? -- I agree that C is correct; both verb forms are possible.

2-- I know the meaning of "erupt", but I just wonder if the word can be used as a transitive verb because it seems a bit awkward to me -- No, 'erupt' is intransitive. The answer is B, 'emits'.

3-- The answer for this is c, but I wonder if it is right, and why d is wrong. Is it because "turn desert" is a fixed expression?-- Again, the answer sheet is wrong. It would have to read 'turns into', so the correct answer is D, 'becomes'.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber

[Nessie]

Thank you so much, and here are some other queries:

1/ ... at the airport, I was very worried to find that no one ... for me.
a. on arriving - had waited
b. on arriving - was waiting
c. at arriving - was waiting
d. at arriving - had waited
=> The answer for this is a, but I personally think that b is the right answer. Am I right or wrong?
2/ in many big cities, there is usually heavy traffic during the rush-hour
=> I don't know if the phrase "the rush-hour" because I often see people use "rush-hour" without "the"
3/ I will never talk to you again unless you apologize me for your being rude
=> Is the above sentence right or wrong? (apologize + me => without "to")
4/ Man also pollutes his surroundings in various other ways
=> why "various other" but not "other various"? is the sentence wrong?

[Mister Micawber]

.
1-- The answer for this is a, but I personally think that b is the right answer. Am I right or wrong? --- You are right.

2-- I don't know if the phrase "the rush-hour" because I often see people use "rush-hour" without "the" -- 'The' is optional here.

3-- Is the sentence right or wrong? (apologize + me => without "to") -- It is wrong; 'to' is required.

4-- why "various other" but not "other various"? is the sentence wrong?-- Both are acceptable, but 'various other' I think is more usual. Ms Google says:

15,500 for "other various ways"
150,000 for "various other ways"

.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber

[Lost_Soul]

[Mister Micawber]

.
I refute it. Too specific and not true anyway. I doubt that any native speaker who is not a grammarian sees a difference.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber

[Alan]

Hi Charles,

I'd like to support Alex on this. By the way I always chuckle inwardly on his mantra: Non-native speaker of AmE. It has a refreshing honesty about it. But back to my point. I have no wish to aspire to 'grammarian' status but I do feel there is a distinction between 'afraid to' and 'afraid of' - the infinitive suggesting something more specific than the 'ing' form. Just one example - in a conversation one speaker is reluctant to interrupt but eventually does by saying: ' I'm afraid to disagree with you but I think ...'

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Read the Signs...

[Mister Micawber]

.
Ah, but you are a grammarian. You, as I, have dealt with this difference many times before, I am sure, at the behest of students. What I said is, "I doubt that any native speaker who is not a grammarian sees a difference"-- not that there is none.

But I am sure that you would not support Alex in thinking that the infinitive means "he's afraid to go out because of something that might get him outside" while the gerund form does not. We can come up with differential uses, as you have done, but for the most part the native speaker is liable to use either in most situations, and a learner who takes a lot of time wrestling with this is wasting it.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber

[Nessie]

Quote:
Ms Google says:

15,500 for "other various ways"
150,000 for "various other ways"

=> What do you mean by "Ms Google" here, Mister Micawber? Is it some kind of personification?

Back to the problem of difference in word using, I wonder if I have got a clear explaination about this yet, but because I can't remember, I'd like to consult your idea again:
difference between "my love for English" and "my love of English" => this is just like Alex's case, I know there is a difference and I can feel it, but I just can't explain. (anyway, I'm not a grammarian, aren't I? )

[Nessie]

Thank you all very much, and here are my other questions:
1/ ..., you may ask your host to do something for help in the kitchen
a. being a guest
b. as a guest
c. you are a guest
d. all are correct
=> the answer for this is d. I know a and b are correct, but I think c is grammatically incorrect (two sentences and no conjunction) => what do you think?
2/ I didn't observe the accident
The accident occurred yesterday
=> These two sentences can be connected with relative pronouns as follow:
I didn't observe the accident which occurred yesterday
but can it be connected this way:
I didn't observe the accident occurring yesterday
=> My friend said that it's incorrect for if we reduce the relative clause that way, the original sentences must be:
I didn't observe the accident which was occurring yesterday
I don't agree with him because according to grammatical rule, the phrase "which occurred" can be reduced into "occurring". There's no need for it to be "which was occurring"

3/ The government participates in the waste disposal process beginning at the front end
=>I don't understand the meaning of this sentence very clearly, especially the phrase "beginning at the front end", could you please help me?

[Nessie]

Hic, Alan and Mister Micawber, are you there? could you please answer my questions?
A zillion thanks.

[Torsten]

Hi Nessie,

It's better if you start a new topic for each question. That way it will be easier for us to answer your questions.

Thanks,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary

[Alan]

Hi,

My comments:

1

[Mister Micawber]

.
Ms Google is my pet name for Google's search engine, Nessie.

3-- The government participates in the waste disposal process beginning at the front end -- I would guess that 'at the front end' means at the first stage of the process, i.e the gov't is involved in collection from the householder; it is not done entirely by a private company.

Difference between "my love for English" and "my love of English" -- I still don't see any difference. I can only comment that my EFL students rely on of in many situations where native speakers prefer another preposition.
.
_________________
Canadian-American native speaker
who teaches English for a living at Mister Micawber's
ESL cafe: Interview with Mister Micawber

[Nessie]

@ Mister Micawber:
quote:
Difference between "my love for English" and "my love of English" -- I still don't see any difference. I can only comment that my EFL students rely on of in many situations where native speakers prefer another preposition.

=> Hic, but I still feel there's some different, if Mister Micawber sees no difference, may I have Alan's idea, please.

@ Alan:
First, I'd love to thank you very much, and here is some feedback of mine:
quote:
2/ I didn't observe the accident
The accident occurred yesterday
=> These two sentences can be connected with relative pronouns as follow:
I didn't observe the accident which occurred yesterday
but can it be connected this way:
I didn't observe the accident occurring yesterday
=> My friend said that it's incorrect for if we reduce the relative clause that way, the original sentences must be:
I didn't observe the accident which was occurring yesterday
I don't agree with him because according to grammatical rule, the phrase "which occurred" can be reduced into "occurring". There's no need for it to be "which was occurring" Simplest is: 'which'

=> But is the sentence "I didn't observe the accident occurring yesterday" wrong? Is my friend or I wrong?

P.S: by the way, should I say "Is my friend or I wrong?" or "Am I or my friend wrong?" or "Is my friend or am I wrong?" => :O

Thanks a lot