behave or appear

[jasonlulu_2000]

She is already 18 years old. But she ______ as if she were still a little girl.
A. ignores B. pretends C. appears D. behaves

I think C or D makes sense.

Am I right?

Thanks!

Jason

 

[emsr2d2]

She is already 18 years old. But she ______ as if she were still a little girl.
A. ignores B. pretends C. appears D. behaves

I think C or D makes sense.

Am I right?

Thanks!

Jason

They are both possible, with completely different meanings.

 

[SoothingDave]

I think "behave" is more likely. The odds of an 18 year old appearing like a little girl are small. When I hear "little girl" I think 6 or 7.

 

[PeterValk]

As I see it, but I'm not a teacher nor a native English speaker:

A. ingnores - this verb needs a subject. Here there is none.
B. pretends - is always followed by a verb. (pretends to be, for example)
C. appears (as) - would mean "she suddenly materialized as a little girl. (here I'm not quite sure)
D. behaves - seems to be the best answer.

 

[SoothingDave]

As I see it, but I'm not a teacher nor a native English speaker:

A. ingnores - this verb needs a subject. Here there is none.
B. pretends - is always followed by a verb. (pretends to be, for example)
C. appears (as) - would mean "she suddenly materialized as a little girl. (here I'm not quite sure)
D. behaves - seems to be the best answer.

"Appears" can refer to how something looks. It has an appearance. "It appears to be leather."

It does not have to mean that something suddenly materializes.

 

[PeterValk]

Yes, I know, but "appears as"? The problem here is with "as"
Could you give us an example how that can be used in the same manner as the situation with the little girl?
(She appeared in the same way she would appear if she had still been a little girl? Maybe that's possible grammatically, but it sounds wrong or at least doesn't convey the same meaning to me)
You wouldn't say: "It appears as leather", would you?

But I'm not a teacher nor a native English speaker, so I could be wrong.

 

[SoothingDave]

It appears as if it is leather. (But, it isn't really leather.)

"As if" is the key grouping of words.

as if - Idioms - by the Free Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

 

[5jj]

A. ingnores - this verb needs a subject. Here there is none.
B. pretends - is always followed by a verb. (pretends to be, for example)
C. appears (as) - would mean "she suddenly materialized as a little girl. (here I'm not quite sure)
D. behaves - seems to be the best answer.

A. There is a subject -she
B. PRETEND can be followed by other things than a verb: He pretended indifference.
C. appears as could be acceptable, with the meaning SD explained. I agree that it's not very likely.
D. This is the best answer, but not for the reasons you gave.

Please make sure of your facts before you respond. Incorrect responses such as yours confuse members.

 

[PeterValk]

Mea culpa (not English, but I hope you understand)

Of course you're right, but I couldn't help noticing: "with the meaning SD explain"
Shouldn't that be "explained"?

 

[5jj]

Mea culpa (not English, but I hope you understand)

I understand, but that is one reason members should not respond unless they are sure that they have sufficient knowledge to respond accurately. This forum is called 'Ask a Teacher'. We don't insist that only teachers respond, because some non-teachers give accurate and helpful responses. However, most members expect the answers here to be as accurate as those given by a teacher would be.

I couldn't help noticing: "with the meaning SD explain"
Shouldn't that be "explained"?

Yes. That was a typo I have now corrected. Thank you.

 

[PeterValk]

Noted, will comply and be more careful!

"That was a typo I have now corrected"
There's another one in your latest reply...

 

[5jj]

There's another one in your latest reply...

Give me a minute or two, please! Advancing age and clumsy fingers have made me rather typo-prone. I normally come back after five or six minutes to proofread my messages again. I normally manage to pick up most of my remaining typos then.