until, chief among, second and choose

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

I have four questions to ask:

No.1
It was ____________ he arrived home that he realized that he had left his keys in the office.
a. until b. not until
The key is 'b'. No problem. But 'a' sounds fine, too. Could you please explain why it isn't correct?

No.2
________ agianst the idea was Lily.
a. Among chief of those b. Among those chief
c. Chied among those
The key is 'c'. I agree. But why are the other two wrong?

No.3
__________ thoughts are ______________ best.
a. Second..../ b. the second..../
c. Second....the d. The second....the
The key is 'c'. Could you please explain why?

No.4
there is so much variety of goods in the hsops that you don't have to _______ the second best.
a. choose b. make do with
The key is 'b'. No problem. Could you please explain if I can choose 'a'?

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

jiang

[Soup]

No.1
Ex: It was until/before he arrived home that ... <wrong meaning>
Ex: It was not until/before he arrived home ... <correct meaning>

No.2
c. Chief among those <idiomatic>

No.3
It's a superlative rule.

No.4
See Make do with - English Phrasal Verb - UsingEnglish.com, 'no alternative vs. alternative'.

[jiang]

Hi Soup,
Thank you very much for your explanation. I understand No.2,3.
I can't see the difference between "before he arriced hom that" and ''before he arrived home''. Could you please kindly explain the difference to me?

Could you please explain what's wrong with the word "choose"?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Originally Posted by Soup

No.1
Ex: It was until/before he arrived home that ... <wrong meaning>
Ex: It was not until/before he arrived home ... <correct meaning>

No.2
c. Chief among those <idiomatic>

No.3
It's a superlative rule.

No.4
See Make do with - English Phrasal Verb - UsingEnglish.com, 'no alternative vs. alternative'.

[Soup]

1. It was after he arrived home that he realized ... <~ It was not until he arrived home that he realized ... >

2. Make do with what's available. There's no choice.