comprehension, vocabulary and grammar

[jiang]

Dear teachers,
I have three questions to ask:

No. 1
Coleman is black. He spent 11 years with IBM, half of them working in management deveopments, and now serves as a consultant to the likes of AT&T, Coca-Cola, Prudential, and Merch.
My question is: What does the word 'likes' mean?

No.2
I don't think the following sentence is correct. But I can't put it right. Could you please help me?

With regard to this, perhaps their most traditionally sanctioned task, colleges and universitites today find themselves in a serious bind generally.
I think 'task' is the subject. Where is the predicate?

No.3
Holiday makers had to ______ with strong winds and heavy rain.
a. combat b. contend
'a' is certainly correct. But 'b' can also mean 'to deal with sth difficult or unpleasant'. My question is why 'b' isn't correct?

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Have a nice weekend.

Jiang

[Tdol]

The likes of = companies such as (meaning that they are quite an impressive bunch)

I think 'colleges and universities' is the subject,so the predicate is 'find themseleves....

I'd say that b) is correct because of the preposition 'with'. In BE, we don't use 'combat with', unldess we are using it as a noun.

[Casiopea]

In addition to tdol's fine answers, here's my take on 2 and 3:

No.2
With regard to this, and this is perhaps their most traditionally sanctioned task (Object, Noun), colleges and universitites (Subject) today find (Verb) themselves in a serious bind generally.


No.3
Holiday makers had to combat/battle with strong winds and heavy rain.

'contend with' means, deal with. That the holiday makers had to deal with the weather is true but they also had to (do) battle with it, as well.

All the best,

[jiang]

Thank you very much for your explanation. I understand No.1 and No.3 but still confused about No.2. If colleges is the subject what's the function of 'perhaps....task'?

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Have a nice weekend.

Jiang

The likes of = companies such as (meaning that they are quite an impressive bunch)

I think 'colleges and universities' is the subject,so the predicate is 'find themseleves....

I'd say that b) is correct because of the preposition 'with'. In BE, we don't use 'combat with', unldess we are using it as a noun.

[jiang]

Thank you very much for your explanation.
Now I understand No.2 but got confused about No.3 because you and tdol got different answers. I hope other teachers could come up with their answers.

Have a nice weekend.

Jiang

In addition to tdol's fine answers, here's my take on 2 and 3:

No.2
With regard to this, and this is perhaps their most traditionally sanctioned task (Object, Noun), colleges and universitites (Subject) today find (Verb) themselves in a serious bind generally.


No.3
Holiday makers had to combat/battle with strong winds and heavy rain.

'contend with' means, deal with. That the holiday makers had to deal with the weather is true but they also had to (do) battle with it, as well.

All the best,

[Tdol]

Thank you very much for your explanation. I understand No.1 and No.3 but still confused about No.2. If colleges is the subject what's the function of 'perhaps....task'?

It's part of the predicate; youcould stick it on the end of the sentence.

[jiang]

Thank you very much for your suggestion. Is this the way to put it?

With regard to this, colleges and universitites today find themselves in a serious bind generally, perhaps their most traditionally sanctioned task.

Does 'task' refers to ' bind'?

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Have a nice weekend.

Jiang

Thank you very much for your explanation. I understand No.1 and No.3 but still confused about No.2. If colleges is the subject what's the function of 'perhaps....task'?

It's part of the predicate; youcould stick it on the end of the sentence.

[MikeNewYork]

Thank you very much for your explanation.
Now I understand No.2 but got confused about No.3 because you and tdol got different answers. I hope other teachers could come up with their answers.

Have a nice weekend.

Jiang

In addition to tdol's fine answers, here's my take on 2 and 3:

No.2
With regard to this, and this is perhaps their most traditionally sanctioned task (Object, Noun), colleges and universitites (Subject) today find (Verb) themselves in a serious bind generally.


No.3
Holiday makers had to combat/battle with strong winds and heavy rain.

'contend with' means, deal with. That the holiday makers had to deal with the weather is true but they also had to (do) battle with it, as well.

All the best,

I agree with Cas and TDOL on #1 and #2. When it comes to #3, I have to go with "contend". We "contend with" things. We "combat" things. We don't "combat (verb) with" things. I also don't think we combat weather very often, but that would be possible. :wink:

[jiang]

Thank you very much for your explanation.
I posted the question because the key is 'battle' and because in Longman dictionary it defined the word 'to take action in an organized way in order to oppose something bad or harmful'. And in the dictionary compiled by Chinese lexicographers it has the collocation 'to combat with/against'. That's why I got confused.
Now I see where the problem lies.

Have a nice weekend.

Jiang

Thank you very much for your explanation.
Now I understand No.2 but got confused about No.3 because you and tdol got different answers. I hope other teachers could come up with their answers.

Have a nice weekend.

Jiang

In addition to tdol's fine answers, here's my take on 2 and 3:

No.2
With regard to this, and this is perhaps their most traditionally sanctioned task (Object, Noun), colleges and universitites (Subject) today find (Verb) themselves in a serious bind generally.


No.3
Holiday makers had to combat/battle with strong winds and heavy rain.

'contend with' means, deal with. That the holiday makers had to deal with the weather is true but they also had to (do) battle with it, as well.

All the best,

I agree with Cas and TDOL on #1 and #2. When it comes to #3, I have to go with "contend". We "contend with" things. We "combat" things. We don't "combat (verb) with" things. I also don't think we combat weather very often, but that would be possible. :wink:

[Casiopea]

With regard to this, [b]which is [/b]perhaps their most traditionally sanctioned task, colleges and universitites today find themselves in a serious bind generally.

'(which is) perhaps their most tradionally sactioned task' modifies/refers to 'this'.

All the best,