Her grades have improves

[Freeguy]

Her grades have improves, but only ........ .

1. in a small amount
2. very slightly
3. minimum
4. some

What's wrong with No.1? (answer key: No.2)

 

[probus]

Her grades have improved, not improves. "In a small amount" is unnatural. The phrase is "by a small amount."

 

[Freeguy]

What's wrong with using "some" ? Does it make the sentence incomplete?

 

[bhaisahab]

What's wrong with using "some" ? Does it make the sentence incomplete?

It's unnatural.

 

[Raymott]

What's wrong with using "some" ? Does it make the sentence incomplete?

If you mean "Some of her grades have improved", say that. You will sometimes hear 'some' used to mean "a bit". "He's grown some since I saw him last." I believe this occurs in some AmE dialects. Even so, it's wrong in the original.

 

[probus]

"He's grown some" is correct and natural in AmE, but to me it is it also rustic and antiquated. It is like the dialogue of a cowboy movie, not something anybody would say today.

 

[MikeNewYork]

"He's grown some" is correct and natural in AmE, but to me it is it also rustic and antiquated. It is like the dialogue of a cowboy movie, not something anybody would say today.

I don't see anything wrong with it. https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra...as grown some;,c0;.t1;,he has grown a bit;,c0

 

[tzfujimino]

I don't see anything wrong with it. https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra...as grown some;,c0;.t1;,he has grown a bit;,c0

Thank you for the link, MikeNewYork.:-D

Does the graph show how frequently the particular word or phrase is used in books, and not in everyday conversation?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Thank you for the link, MikeNewYork.:-D

Does the graph show how frequently the particular word or phrase is used in books, and not in everyday conversation?

Probably, yes. But it shows what actually occurs in English.