"put something on hold"

[Catalina]

<font color="purple">pls look at this sentence;</font id="purple">

The students put the books on hold for two days.

<font color="purple">What does it mean from “put something on hold” ?</font id="purple">

??

[wasleys]

Originally posted by Catalina

<font color="purple">pls look at this sentence;</font id="purple">

The students put the books on hold for two days.

<font color="purple">What does it mean from “put something on hold” ?</font id="purple">

??

catalina

Put something on hold is a colloquial expression. I think it comes from the telephone where a caller may be put on hold until the person they want to speak to is free.

So it means something like: to make people wait or stop doing something for a while.

An example might be: "I know we arranged to meet tomorrow but I'm afraid I will have to put you on hold until next week."

The sentence you ask about seems a little unusual (unless it means the students stopped studying for a while - they put the books 'on hold').

Michael

[Catalina]

<font color="purple">Michael
special thanks to you for complete answers to my recntly questions in different forums, here I present the full question from Longman Complete Course For The TOEFL Test. </font id="purple">

(woman) -Will the students be able to get hold of the books that they need?
(man) -The librarian had them reserve the books for two days.
(narrator) WHAT DOES THE MAN MEAN?
(A) The librarian was quite reserved with the students for two days.
(B) Within two days the librarian had the books for the students.
(C) The librarian reserved the books for the students.
(D) The students put the books on hold for two days.

<font color="purple">and the answer (according to answer key) is D.
My primary confusion was why C is not the correct answer considering what man says.</font id="purple">

<font color="purple">thankx in advance</font id="purple">:o

[wasleys]

Originally posted by Catalina

<font color="purple">Michael
...here I present the full question from Longman Complete Course For The TOEFL Test. </font id="purple">

(woman) -Will the students be able to get hold of the books that they need?
(man) -The librarian had them reserve the books for two days.
(narrator) WHAT DOES THE MAN MEAN?
(A) The librarian was quite reserved with the students for two days.
(B) Within two days the librarian had the books for the students.
(C) The librarian reserved the books for the students.
(D) The students put the books on hold for two days.

<font color="purple">and the answer (according to answer key) is D.
My primary confusion was why C is not the correct answer considering what man says.</font id="purple">

Catalina

Like you I don't understand.

The expression at D is not one I would recognise as normal speech in England. Is it a US English expression?

"The librarian had them..." = who? The students? Someone else?

If it means the students then C would not be appropriate.

It seems a strange question.

Michael

[Erin]

I agree that this question is confusing.

Catalina, can you give me a page number for this question? I'd like to look it up and report back.

[Catalina]

<font color="purple">Erin
you may find this question at

page 43
TOEFL EXERCISE 6
No 7
of http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130408956/ref=nosim/http://www.testmagic.com complete course for the TOEFL test , preparation for the cmputer and paper tests, Dborah Pillips

as every thanx a lot very dear erin.</font id="purple">