I am confused.Help!

[hoangkha]

We ............... Catherine yesterday when we were shopping.

[FONT=&quot]a. came across [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]b. bumped into [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]c. ran to [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]d. fell into
The key is B. But why isn't A chosen?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Your explanation is needed.
[/FONT]

 

[JohnParis]

In casual English that you would hear native speakers use every day, only D would be incorrect.
A,B,and C are all perfectly fine to use.
The only reason your "Key" chose "B" was because it had to provide one answer.
John

 

[SoothingDave]

"C" would be OK if it were "ran into" not "ran to."

"Came across" to me reads like Catherine was stationary and you were moving. More likely both were moving, so "bumped into" is most natural.

 

[JohnParis]

Ooops - Dave's correct !
I saw "ran into" when, in fact, it's "ran to".
Time to pack it in for today.
Thanks Dave.
John

 

[hoangkha]

Thank Dave!
But I can't find COME ACROSS & BUMP INTO different.
According to OALD
* come across somebody/something[no passive] to meet or find somebody/something by chance
- I came across children sleeping under bridges.
- She came across some old photographs in a drawer.

* bump into somebody(informal) to meet somebody by chance
- I bumped into Simon this morning.

 

[5jj]

Hoangka, Please use a smaller font. It's difficult to read large fonts.

There is not a great deal of difference between the two, but Daves's idea of movement is good. 'Come across' also has the idea sometimes of 'finding' If I were looking through my papers. I might 'come across' a lost photograph, I wouldn't 'bump into' it.

Looking at the example sentences in a dictionary is at least as important as reading the difinition.

 

[hoangkha]

Hoangka, Please use a smaller font. It's difficult to read large fonts.

There is not a great deal of difference between the two, but Daves's idea of movement is good. 'Come across' also has the idea sometimes of 'finding' If I were looking through my papers. I might 'come across' a lost photograph, I wouldn't 'bump into' it.

Looking at the example sentences in a dictionary is at least as important as reading the difinition.

Dear teacher!
Sorry. Because I have poor sight.
Below is definitions from OALD
* come across somebody/something[no passive] to meet or find somebody/something by chance
* bump into somebody(informal) to meet somebody by chance
Best regards!

 

[5jj]

I know what the OALD definitions are. The point is that editors of comparatively small dictionaries such as the OALD have to attempt to define words in few words. They cannot possibly give precise explanations of every shade of meaning. They give example sentences, both to show how they arrived at the definition, and to illustrate how the word is used in context.

In this forum we do not respond to initial questions about the meaning of a word, because there is no point in our duplicating what dictionaries do well. We help by clearing up confusion iif the dictionary answer doesn't give sufficient information for you.

That is what SoothingDave and I have done. We have gone beyond the dictionary definition. The OALD is not wrong - it just didn't have the space to give you the answer you wanted.