as etc.

[jiang]

Dear teachers,


I have seven questions to ask:

No.1
_________ computers become cheap so the job of teh teacher will change from a giver of information to an adviser of students on how to use the new technology.
a. As b. Because
The key is 'a'. 'b' isn't correct because there is 'so' in ' so the job...'. Is that right?

No.2
He felt honored to meet_________ Professor Wang.
a. so accomplished a scholar as
b. such an accomplished scholar like
The key is 'a'. Is 'so.....as' a phrase? And is the problem with 'b' is there isn't such a phrase ' such.....like'? And if it is 'such......as' then it is correct.

No.3
A new idea is first condemned as ridiculous, and then dismissed as trivial, __________ finally it becomes what everybody knows.
a. until b. before
The key is 'a'. No problem. Could you please kindly explain why 'b' isn't correct?

No.4
Nowadays few people can remember not having radios.
Does the sentence mean 'Many people remember they have radios'?

No.5
If there is one main characteristic of the modern world that makes our lives different from _________ it is probably speed.
a. that of our grandparents b. those of our grandparents
The key is 'b'. Here 'those' means different times. Is that right? But I think 'a' is also correct because 'that' can refer to ' a world different from the modern world'. Is that right?

No.6
Human beings can eat many diferent kinds of food, although some eat ____ plant foods and seeds.
a. nothing but b. everything except
The key is 'a'. No problem. 'b' seems also correct. Is that right?

No.7
Please read the sentence :
Look at the delight a one-or two-year-old takes in learning, and you see how powerful is the human will to learn. This is an inverted sentence. Then please read the following sentence:

Some scientists think that trial-and-error methods help to show how intelligent _______.
a. is an animal. b. an animal is.
The key is 'b'. But I think 'a' is the same with my first sentence. Could you please explain why isn't it right?

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

Jiang

[Noego]

"No.1
_________ computers become cheap so the job of teh teacher will change from a giver of information to an adviser of students on how to use the new technology.
a. As b. Because
The key is 'a'. 'b' isn't correct because there is 'so' in ' so the job...'. Is that right?"

Are you sure there's a "so" there, it just seems really wrong.

I would say:

"As computers become cheap, the job of the teacher will change from a giver of information, to an adviser of students on how to use the new technology."

I think it sounds sooo much better.

[Super Sonic]

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear teachers,


No.2
He felt honored to meet_________ Professor Wang.
a. so accomplished a scholar as
b. such an accomplished scholar like
The key is 'a'. Is 'so.....as' a phrase? And is the problem with 'b' is there isn't such a phrase ' such.....like'? And if it is 'such......as' then it is correct. Right.

No.3
A new idea is first condemned as ridiculous, and then dismissed as trivial, __________ finally it becomes what everybody knows.
a. until b. before
The key is 'a'. No problem. Could you please kindly explain why 'b' isn't correct?

No.4
Nowadays few people can remember not having radios.
Does the sentence mean 'Many people remember they have radios'? Yes

No.5
If there is one main characteristic of the modern world that makes our lives different from _________ it is probably speed.
a. that of our grandparents b. those of our grandparents
The key is 'b'. Here 'those' means different times. Is that right? But I think 'a' is also correct because 'that' can refer to ' a world different from the modern world'. Is that right? I think the correct answer should be like this: " those of our grandparents' "

No.6
Human beings can eat many diferent kinds of food, although some eat ____ plant foods and seeds.
a. nothing but b. everything except
The key is 'a'. No problem. 'b' seems also correct. Is that right? But it says "although" in the first sentence, so the second one should give an opposing idea to that one. It couldn't have been "everything but" either.

No.7
Please read the sentence :
Look at the delight a one-or two-year-old takes in learning, and you see how powerful is the human will to learn. This is an inverted sentence. Then please read the following sentence:

Some scientists think that trial-and-error methods help to show how intelligent _______.
a. is an animal. b. an animal is.
The key is 'b'. But I think 'a' is the same with my first sentence. Could you please explain why isn't it right? "How intelligent is an animal?" , "Tell me how intelligent an animal is."

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

Jiang

Hope I could be of help

[Casiopea]

No.1
a. As computers become cheap so the job of the teacher... <so>
b. Because computers are becoming cheap, the job of the teacher... <verb change and no so>

No.2
a. so accomplished a scholar as
b. such an accomplished scholar like (such...as not such...like)

No.3
_____finally it becomes what everybody knows.
a. until finally it...
b. before finally it... (before it finally not before finally it)

No.4
People today grew up with radios; they've never lived without them; they don't know what it is like not to have a radio or a TV, but my great great grandparents would have rememeber what it was like not to have a radio or a TV. In thier day there weren't any radios or TVs.

No.5
If there is one main characteristic of the modern world that makes our lives different from the characteristics of the old world/those of our grandparents it is probably speed.

No.6
a. nothing but <describes vegetarians>
b. everything except <I don't know what you'd call people who don't eat plants foods. Veggies I can understand -they're green and soggy when cooked - but all nuts, cereals, and fruit? Who doesn't eat those? Hmm. That's just weird.

No.7
a. is an animal <Question form: How intelligent is an animal?>
b. an animal is <Statement form: How intelligent an animal is.

Note, in questions the subject-verb pair is inverted:

Base structure: an animal is intelligent how
WH-movement: how intelligent an animal is
Subject-verb inversion: how intelligent is an animal

All the best.

[Super Sonic]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

No.5
If there is one main characteristic of the modern world that makes our lives different from the characteristics of the old world/those of our grandparents it is probably speed.

Isn't an apostrophe required after "grandparents"?

[dihen]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

Base structure: an animal is intelligent how

It's not "An animal is how intelligent"?

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by dihen

It's not "An animal is how intelligent"?

Yes, I am aware of that, dihen. It's the "base form". From that structure we derive the statement and the question.

[Super Sonic]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

Yes, I am aware of that, dihen. It's the "base form". From that structure we derive the statement and the question.

And my answer?

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by Super Sonic

Isn't an apostrophe required after "grandparents"?

It's called a double-genitive. The following explanation is from The Apostrophe/The Well Bred Sentence. I've marked the gist in blue font:

Another eccentric usage is in expressions that seem to mark a genitive relationship twice:

A friend of my daughter’s is a lawyer.

The genitive relationship my daughter is embedded into the genitive relationship `daughter’s friend'. The structure of ... ’s allows these two genitives to be expressed in one sentence.

When using this double-genitive structure the writer must be careful to place the apostrophe where meaning requires that it be placed. Note the difference in meaning when the apostrophe of the previous sentence is placed after the s :

A friend of my daughter’s is a lawyer.
A lawyer is the friend of my only daughter or of one of my daughters.

A friend of my daughters’ is a lawyer.
A lawyer is the friend of several or all of my daughters.

It is perfectly correct to do without this double genitive when the genitive relationship is between nouns:

A friend of my daughter is a lawyer.
A friend of my daughters is a lawyer.

But we cannot avoid it when the genitive relationship is between a noun and a pronoun:

A friend of mine is a lawyer
A poem of his was published recently.

All the best.

[Super Sonic]

Originally Posted by Casiopea

It's called a double-genitive. The following explanation is from The Apostrophe/The Well Bred Sentence. I've marked the gist in blue font:

Another eccentric usage is in expressions that seem to mark a genitive relationship twice:

A friend of my daughter’s is a lawyer.

The genitive relationship my daughter is embedded into the genitive relationship `daughter’s friend'. The structure of ... ’s allows these two genitives to be expressed in one sentence.


When using this double-genitive structure the writer must be careful to place the apostrophe where meaning requires that it be placed. Note the difference in meaning when the apostrophe of the previous sentence is placed after the s :

A friend of my daughter’s is a lawyer.

A lawyer is the friend of my only daughter or of one of my daughters.

A friend of my daughters’ is a lawyer.

A lawyer is the friend of several or all of my daughters.

It is perfectly correct to do without this double genitive when the genitive relationship is between nouns:

A friend of my daughter is a lawyer.

A friend of my daughters is a lawyer.

But we cannot avoid it when the genitive relationship is between a noun and a pronoun:

A friend of mine is a lawyer

A poem of his was published recently.

All the best.

Oh... So it is wrong to use apostrophe in such situations?