as long as and as soon as

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

Please read the sentence:

Humans everywhere are alike in this respect. _________ there is any extra money, they seek to raise their standard of living.

a. As long as b. As soon as

The key is 'b'. But I think 'a' is also correct. 'b' means 'the moment there is any extra money...' while 'a' means 'On the condition that there is any extra money'. Is that right?


Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

[StaceyJ]

That sounds correct to me. As you noted, there is a slightly different meaning between 'as long as' and 'as soon as', but as long as ( )the sentence stands alone then they both work.

[jiang]

Dear StaceyJ,
Thank you very much for your explanation. Now I see.
Such exercises always makes me feel less confident in myself because they always put two correct answers in one sentence which stands alone.

Best wishes,

Jiang

Originally Posted by StaceyJ

That sounds correct to me. As you noted, there is a slightly different meaning between 'as long as' and 'as soon as', but as long as ( )the sentence stands alone then they both work.

[StaceyJ]

No problem. Those sorts of questions always make me look over them two or three times as well, and I've been speaking English for 30 years.

[jiang]

Dear StaceyJ,

Thank you for comforting me and thank you for your help.

Jiang

Originally Posted by StaceyJ

No problem. Those sorts of questions always make me look over them two or three times as well, and I've been speaking English for 30 years.

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear teachers,

Please read the sentence:

Humans everywhere are alike in this respect. _________ there is any extra money, they seek to raise their standard of living.

a. As long as b. As soon as

The key is 'b'. But I think 'a' is also correct. 'b' means 'the moment there is any extra money...' while 'a' means 'On the condition that there is any extra money'. Is that right?


Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

They are both correct. This must drive you crazy!

[curmudgeon]

Humans everywhere are alike in this respect. As soon as there is any extra money, they will seek to raise their standard of living.
Humans everywhere are alike in this respect. As long as there is extra money, they will use it to raise their standard of living.

[jiang]

Dear Mike,

Yes. This drives me mad and makes me less confident in myself.
When there are two choices that I think are correct I always think it is me who makes mistake instead of the professors who complied the textbook. This is why I sometimes ask silly questions. And it seems there are more and more such cases. This is too bad. I have bought more dictionaries compiled by native speakers. And I would consult the dictionaries before I ask you teachers questions, I mean, if I can't find the answer in my dictionaries.
I hope the textbooks and exercise books will be improved in the near future.

Jiang

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

They are both correct. This must drive you crazy!

[jiang]

Dear curmudgeon,
Thank you very much for your reply.

Originally Posted by curmudgeon

Humans everywhere are alike in this respect. As soon as there is any extra money, they will seek to raise their standard of living.
Do you mean this sentence lays stress on the fact that they seek to raise their standard of living. It doesn't suggest they use the money. Is that right?
Humans everywhere are alike in this respect. As long as there is extra money, they will use it to raise their standard of living.

Do you mean this sentence lays stress onthe fact that they will use the money to raise their standard of living. Is that right?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.
Jiang

[Harry Smith]

Originally Posted by curmudgeon

Humans everywhere are alike in this respect. As soon as there is any extra money, they will seek to raise their standard of living.
Humans everywhere are alike in this respect. As long as there is extra money, they will use it to raise their standard of living.

Nice job!