boz Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 Hi everyone I just received an e-mail contained some useful information from Erin as you did I guess. There is a grammer test there and I have some confusions with two of the questions. If you write down your comments , I`ll be happy. Here is my trouble... 7. Before a caterpillar can metamorphose into a butterfly, ______. O then it must spin a cocoon O it spins a cocoon first O a cocoon is first spin O it must first spin a cocoon Here, I thought the correct answer had to be b).But it is d).Why do you think it`s like that? AND 10. A unipolar cell is one that has ______. O singular processing O the only process O single processes O a single process The correct answer is d). Why not a). Typo(s) removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harbinger Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 Originally posted by boz Hi everyone I just received an e-mail contained some useful information from Erin as you did I guess. No, I didn't get anything from him.:( There is a grammar test there and I have some [/size]confusions[/size] with two of the questions.If you write down your comments , I`ll be happy.Here is my trouble... Although "confusion" can be either countable or non countable according to what I read in my dictionary, very rarely do I see "some confusions". What about others' ideas? 7. Before a caterpillar can metamorphose into a butterfly, ______. O then it must spin a cocoon O it spins a cocoon first O a cocoon is first spin O it must first spin cocoon Here, I thought the correct answer had to be b).But it is d).Why do you think it`s like that? D is the best choice because it is the only structurally parallel answer. In order for B to be the answer, the beginning of the sentence has to be "For a caterpillar to metamorphose into a butterfly,", but this is a poor sentence. 10. A unipolar cell is one that has ______. O singular processing O the only process O single processes O a single process The correct answer is d).Why not a). This one also requires a parallel structure. In addition, "singular processing" does not necessarily mean "a single process"; "singular" sometimes means "unique". HTH :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 Originally posted by harbinger 7. Before a caterpillar can metamorphose into a butterfly, ______. O then it must spin a cocoon O it spins a cocoon first O a cocoon is first spin O it must first spin cocoon The question has a problem I think. Neither B nor D is the answer. I believe that Erin wants to check us the use of the indefinite article. But perhaps he did not proofread the question well enough. There is no determiner before "cocoon" in the fourth choice.This question was copied incorrectly from the newsletter I sent out (click here to sign up for it). You can see the newsletter here. It is *very* easy to make typos, and I do it all the time, although I try to find my mistakes before I send out the newsletters. This time, though, the question was copied incorrectly. I'll talk about the grammar in a separate post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vvaann Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 Originally posted by boz Hi everyone I just received an e-mail contained some useful information from Erin as you did I guess. There is a grammer test there and I have some confusions with two of the questions. If you write down your comments , I`ll be happy. Here is my trouble... Hi boz, "contained" should be changed to "containing":). Moreover, I sometimes see "grammer", not "grammar", is used. Is it simply a typo? Originally posted by harbinger Although "confusion" can be either countable or non countable according to what I read in my dictionary, very rarely do I see "some confusions". What about others' ideas? I see & use "some confusions" at times:D. Originally posted by harbinger D is the best choice because it is the only structurally parallel answer. In order for B to be the answer, the beginning of the sentence has to be "For a caterpillar to metamorphose into a butterfly,", but this is a poor sentence. Harbinger, I don't understand why right answer would be B if the beginning was "For a caterpillar ...". I think this was discussed once before, but I forgot it. Could you please talk about it again?:DThanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 Originally posted by vvaann Moreover, I sometimes see "grammer", not "grammar", is used. Is it simply a typo? I see & use "some confusions" at times :D.grammer and confusions are ALWAYS wrong. "grammer" is one of the most common misspellings I see; "confusion" is a usually a non-count noun. I've never heard a native speaker say "confusions" in this sense. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted April 2, 2003 Share Posted April 2, 2003 Originally posted by boz 7. Before a caterpillar can metamorphose into a butterfly, ______. O then it must spin a cocoon O it spins a cocoon first O a cocoon is first spin O it must first spin a cocoon Here, I thought the correct answer had to be b). But it is d). Why do you think it`s like that?I have seen this point tested before. Most of my students chose B, but the best answer is D. B is wrong, first, because first needs to be before the verb spins. The second reason that D is wrong is related to the meaning. So first, let's re-order the sentence to make it easier to understand (a good strategy for testtakers): [*]D (the best answer): A caterpillar must first spin a cocoon before it can metamorphose into a butterfly. [*]B (original): A caterpillar spins a cocoon first before it can metamorphose into a butterfly. [*]B (improved, but still wrong): A caterpillar first spins a cocoon before it can metamorphose into a butterfly. [*]B (improved, and with "first" removed so that we can focus on the other error): A caterpillar spins a cocoon before it can metamorphose into a butterfly. These sentences are all wrong because they don't include the modal "must." Because we are talking about a relationship between two actions, we need to use a modal. In other words, being able to metamorphose depends on first spinning a cocoon; without spinning a cocoon, the caterpillar cannot metamorphose. Therefore, we must use "must." Let's look at a simpler example. Which is better: Before you can take the TOEFL, you register. or Before you can take the TOEFL, you must register. I think you'll agree that the second one is better. Make sense? I hope so. Again, I have seen such a question before, and many students missed it. I created this question to focus on that particular grammar point, in case anybody sees a similar one on their CBT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vvaann Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Originally posted by Erin Billy grammer and confusions are ALWAYS wrong. "grammer" is one of the most common misspellings I see; "confusion" is a count noun. I've never heard a native speaker say "confusions." :) :o It's surprised me much. I believie I come across "confusions" sometimes. Once "confusion" is defined as a count noun, I don't understand why "confusions" is not used. There must be a specific reason! Erin? BTW, Here are some quotations: Originally written by Thomas, Dylan (1914 - 1953) These poems, with all their crudities, doubts, and confusions, are written for the love of Man and in praise of God, and I'd be a damn' fool if they weren't. Collected Poems, Note, 1924 and some words about Updike, John Hoyer (1932): Until 1959 he worked for the New Yorker magazine. In such novels as Rabbit, Run (1960), Couples (1968), Rabbit Redux (1972), and Marry Me (1976) he explored the moral confusions of contemporary US society. He moved beyond the suburban scene in The Coup (1979), a novel set in Africa. Rabbit is Rich (1981) and Rabbit at Rest (1990) won Pulitzer Prizes (1982, 1991). Later novels include Memories of the Ford Administration (1993), Brazil (1994), and Bech at Bay (1998). The Macmillan Encyclopedia 2001, © Market House Books Ltd 2000 or [/size][/size]waive (verb) [/size][/size] Means 'refrain from insisting on or using (a right, claim, opportunity, legitimate plea, etc.)' (The Concise Oxford Dictionary), and is derived from an Old French verb meaning 'to allow to become a waif, to abandon'. Correct use: Let us waive the formalities and proceed with the business of the meeting. It has had a rich and varied history in English since the 13c. But in the early 19c. it began to be confused with the homonym wave (verb) and used to mean 'to put (a person or thing) aside, away, off with or as with a wave of the hand', e.g. I cannot waive away all the teaching of history. Fowler (1926) cited another example: The problem of feeding the peoples of the Central Empires is a very serious and anxious one, and we cannot waive it aside as though it were no concern of ours. Such confusions should be avoided. The New Fowler's Modern English Usage, © Oxford University Press 1968 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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