what etc.

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

Please read the following sentences:

No.1
I typically encourage them to discover _________ excites them and make a decision based on this rather than focus on where they will make money or what is in fashion currently.
a. what b. whatever
The key is 'a'. My question is: Why isn't 'b' correct?

No.2
He was a friend of all the great people of his_______ and a welcome guest in the palaces of princes and kings.
a. day b. period

The key is 'a'. But in my dictionary I can only find 'in one day' which means 'during the most successful part of someone's life. If 'of his day' means the same thing, then the sentence means ' when he was successful he was a friend of all the great people'. Is that right?
And 'b' isn't correct because that means 'the time from he was born to the day he died'. Is that right?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

[MikeNewYork]

Dear teachers,

Please read the following sentences:

No.1
I typically encourage them to discover _________ excites them and make a decision based on this rather than focus on where they will make money or what is in fashion currently.
a. what b. whatever
The key is 'a'. My question is: Why isn't 'b' correct?

No.2
He was a friend of all the great people of his_______ and a welcome guest in the palaces of princes and kings.
a. day b. period

The key is 'a'. But in my dictionary I can only find 'in one day' which means 'during the most successful part of someone's life. If 'of his day' means the same thing, then the sentence means ' when he was successful he was a friend of all the great people'. Is that right?
And 'b' isn't correct because that means 'the time from he was born to the day he died'. Is that right?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

The first one is very close. It sounds as if the subject is about choice of field or career. In that case "what" is a little better than "whatever", because it is more specific. Nevertheless, "whatever" works pretty well there.

"Of his day" means "of his time", "when he was alive. It fits nicely here. "Period" is a bit overblown for this use. It has more to do with historical or cultural changes than a guy and his friends or one person's lifetime.

[jiang]

Dear Mike,

Thank you very much for your explanation. Now I see.

Jiang

The first one is very close. It sounds as if the subject is about choice of field or career. In that case "what" is a little better than "whatever", because it is more specific. Nevertheless, "whatever" works pretty well there.

"Of his day" means "of his time", "when he was alive. It fits nicely here. "Period" is a bit overblown for this use. It has more to do with historical or cultural changes than a guy and his friends or one person's lifetime.

[MikeNewYork]

Dear Mike,

Thank you very much for your explanation. Now I see.

Jiang

You're welcome, Jiang.