deserve of

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masterding

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Quote from a Harvard open course:
Suppose that were the moral basis of Harvard’s admission policy. What letters would they have to write to people they rejected or accepted for that matter? Wouldn’t they have to write something like this; Dear unsuccessful applicant, we regret to inform you that your application for admission has been rejected. It’s not your fault that when you came along society happened not to need the qualities you have to offer. Those admitted instead of you are not themselves deserving of a place, nor worthy of praise for the factors that led to their admission we are in any case only using them and you as instruments of a wider social purpose. Better luck next time.

Does it make sense to say "deserve of"? It looks odd to me.
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MikeNewYork

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"Deserve of" will not work.
 

emsr2d2

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You have messed up the link in your last post. The link leads us back to this thread, not to a dictionary definition.

We can say:

He deserves the praise.
He is deserving of the praise.

We don't say "He deserves of the praise".
 

masterding

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I'm sorry , I made a mistake, I've corrected the link. so there's no difference in meaning between 'deserve the praise' and 'deservig of the praise'?
Thank you.
 
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emsr2d2

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You can say:

I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I've corrected the link.
I'm sorry I made a mistake. I've corrected the link.

There is a difference in meaning between "I'm sorry. I made a mistake" and "I'm sorry I made a mistake".
 

masterding

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You can say:

I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I've corrected the link.
I'm sorry I made a mistake. I've corrected the link.

There is a difference in meaning between "I'm sorry. I made a mistake" and "I'm sorry I made a mistake".
What's the difference?
 

Matthew Wai

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Could the first one mean that the speaker is sorry for something else instead of making a mistake?

Not a teacher.
 

MikeNewYork

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In this case, "I'm sorry" refers to posting the wrong link. "I made a mistake" was an acknowledgement of that mistake.
 

emsr2d2

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"I'm sorry" and "I made a mistake" are separate statements. The first is an apology for something as yet unspecified. The second is an explanation of what the person did. When said together, it is very likely that the two are linked.
"I'm sorry I made a mistake" is the same as "I'm sorry that I made a mistake" - The two are inextricably linked. The speaker is only apologising for making a mistake.
 
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