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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2007More than one answer?
Hi, I need your help again. The following is the context for your reference. How can you "try on" a job for a while before deciding that it is right for you? One ____ is through work experience. But how can you get such experience? Well, while you are still at at school, you could spend a few days working at a job that interests you, one that you might like to do when you leave school. It is a good way to try on a job. a) chance b) choice c) possibility d) mistake The answer given is c), but my students would like to know why they couldn't choose a) or b) instead. Like always, thanks a lot. Gloria >Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >The answer given is c), but my students would like to know why they >couldn't choose a) or b) instead. Like always, thanks a lot. Choices a, b, and c are all acceptable. Somewhat. Choice c is the better choice because it indicates that the opportunity to work a few days on a job to try it out is just a possibility. The possibility must arise before the chance can be taken or the choice made. There's no rule here. It's choosing which word works *best*.  SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL >Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >Gloria Go by the definition of the word. A "chance" according to dictionary.com, is 1. the absence of any cause of events that can be predicted, understood, or controlled: often personified or treated as a positive agency: 2. luck or fortune: a game of chance. 3. a possibility or probability of anything happening: a fifty-percent chance of success. 4. an opportune or favorable time; opportunity: Now is your chance. Now, look up "possibility" and you find: 1. the state or fact of being possible: the possibility of error. 2. something possible: He had exhausted every possibility but one. Is work experience an uncontrollable or unpredictable event? No. Is it luck? No. Is it a likelyhood of something happening? No. Is it an opportune time? No. Is it an opportunity? in a limited sense, but that sense is not supported by the rest of the sentence, which supports instead the idea that work experience is one of several ways to gain experience. That means that no definition of "chance " is a particularly good fit. Now try out "possibility": In the context, is work experience something that has the state of being possible? Yes. Is it something that is possible? Also yes. Therefore, "chance" is not a good choice; "possibility" is. Now, just to confuse things, I'd say that "b) Choice," is also acceptable, as the sentence carries the sense that "One _choice_ [of those available to you] is work experience." But as so often is the case with these things, I personally think that the best words aren't on the list. Those would be "way", "method", or "option". SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com > But as so often is the case with these things, I personally think > that the best words aren't on the list. Those would be "way", > "method", or "option". I have commented before on the very poor quality of the learning materials that gloria0 appears to be using. >> But as so often is the case with these things, I personally think >> that the best words aren't on the list. Those would be "way", >> "method", or "option". > > I have commented before on the very poor quality of the learning > materials that gloria0 appears to be using. So have I, but since the majority in AEU has no problem doing Gloria's job for her, I've given it a rest. I still think it is wrong, and that she isn't becoming a better teacher by picking Barbara Bailey's brains, but then Gloria mews, and I am just the bitch on the sidelines. Joanne >>> But as so often is the case with these things, I personally think >>> that the best words aren't on the list. Those would be "way", [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Joanne If I may, I don't have a very high opinion of the material she's citing either. But I also have no idea what's available wherever she is, for whatever budget she has. Therefore, I will continue to answer her questions, since she is at least asking them, rather than simply giving up and letting them slide, or worse for her students, trotting out the teacher's cop-outs "Because I said so." and "Because that's what the book says." How is she to become a better teacher without asking questions when they arise? SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com On 1月26日, 上午7時37分, Barbara Bailey <rabrab...@yahoo.com> wrote: > On Thu, 25 Jan 2007 18:19:20 GMT, "Joanne Marinelli" > [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > -- > Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com- 隱藏被引用文字 -- 顯示被引用文字 - First of all, I would like to thank for your help that you have offered. I have never thought of taking adantage of all of you. On the contrary, I cherish my experience here because most of you are so kind to answer my questions. As a teacher, I try my best to answer my students' questions. I don't want them to accept everything the textbook or I says. And I am also eager to know what is correct. I believe a life is getting its worth only when you are willing to learn and to teach. For me, you are more like friends than strangers. Though we don't know each other, you are always willing to lend a hand to my students and me. Learning and teaching a language both need courage to admit there are something that we don't know. Thanks for your "feeding" me knowledge on the usage of words. I really don't have many resources at hand, but I have you as my best teaching resources. Maybe just like Joanne said, I am too "lazy" to look for answers by myself, but the very reason why I come here so often for help is because you are trustworthy and always reliable. Thanks a million. I would appreciate that we may cease the discussion of whether I am a good teacher or not. I believe this newsgroup is set up to help people out in English learning rather than judging people's motive of coming here for help. >On 1¤ë26¤é, ¤W¤È7®É37¤À, Barbara Bailey <rabrab...@yahoo.com> >wrote: [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] >I believe this newsgroup is set up to help people out in English >learning rather than judging people's motive of coming here for help. Gloria, the teachers I learned the most from are the ones who answered my questions. Of those teachers, the ones that I respect the most are the ones who weren't afraid to say " Offhand, I don't know the answer to that. I'll do some research and you do some and we'll talk about what we both found out in a few days." Those are the teachers that I all but worshipped. I don't think that you're lazy for asking here; many of the questions you raise are nuances of English usage that the typical grammar book won't address. Ask away. If I can answer I will. Joanne can't stop me. SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com On 1月26日, 下午1時22分, Barbara Bailey <rabrab...@yahoo.com> wrote: > >On 1¤ë26¤é, ¤W¤È7®É37¤À, Barbara Bailey <rabrab...@yahoo.com> > >wrote: [quoted text clipped - 62 lines] > -- > Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com Dear Barbara, Thanks for your encouragement. Like I said before, most of you are very nice people and my great resources when answering my students' questions. Take care, Gloria > >> But as so often is the case with these things, I personally think > >> that the best words aren't on the list. Those would be "way", [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Joanne Joanne, I've never heard where Gloria is from but I find it easy to imagine that she is in Asia somewhere. I'm from New Zealand, and we have a thriving industry sending university graduates to Asia as English teachers. I'm not talking about English language students either, anyone with a Bachelor's degree can work as an object lesson in English speaking. I presume this is on the assumption that literacy is required to get a Bachelor's degree, but that's a different argument. The problem is that there are far more people who wish to learn English than there are qualified teachers. In such a climate I would much rather be taught by someone like Gloria than someone who teaches strictly from the book. We've all seen the examples Gloria uses. I pity anyone who learns from such a resource without a native speaker to correct them. I can't see what remedy you advise for Gloria's situation (if I have guessed it correctly) - apart from further study on her own part. Certainly there are other ways to confirm the correct answer, but a survey of opinion from a (mostly) friendly Usenet group seems a perfectly valid choice to me. Gloria, I'm sorry for talking about you like you're not here. I am interested to know where you are from, but I also don't mind if you'd rather not say. I haven't been following this newsgroup for very long and I might have missed your introduction, if you gave one. >> But as so often is the case with these things, I personally think >> that the best words aren't on the list. Those would be "way", >> "method", or "option". > >I have commented before on the very poor quality of the learning >materials that gloria0 appears to be using. I suspect that Gloria is working with the only materials that she has available to her or is allowed to use. I support her efforts in questioning the answers in that material because she seems to sense that the material isn't sufficient for the purpose. She's not taking the easy path that some teachers take and telling her students that "x" is the answer because the book says that "x" is the answer. She's taking an extra step. SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL On 25 Jan 2007, Tony Cooper wrote >> I have commented before on the very poor quality of the >> learning materials that gloria0 appears to be using. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > telling her students that "x" is the answer because the book > says that "x" is the answer. She's taking an extra step. I agree; her initiative is admirable. SignatureCheers, Harvey Canadian and British English, indiscriminately mixed For e-mail, change harvey.news to harvey.van >>> But as so often is the case with these things, I personally think >>> that the best words aren't on the list. Those would be "way", [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > students that "x" is the answer because the book says that "x" is the > answer. She's taking an extra step. Oh come on Tony. Taking an extra step to be a good instructor should never include constantly trolling newsgroups. You are patronizing her because she isn't American, which is as bad as my continual objections. If she has a computer which gives her access to Google Groups, then she has the resources and ability to teach herself to do a better job without relying on AEU as much as she does. I do not go to the freelance journalism group everyday whining with questions like how do I get sources or find markets--there are some things the more experienced freelancers have taught me which are beyond my purview, granted--but being dedicated and motivated means getting your hands dirty, and not becoming dependent on posts from native speakers. What you and Barbara are doing is simply masking her own inability, and that's wrong. Joanne On 25 Jan 2007, Joanne Marinelli wrote > Oh come on Tony. Taking an extra step to be a good instructor > should never include constantly trolling newsgroups. I've seen absolutely *no* evidence that the woman has been trolling, as that word is understood when referring to newsgroups. Do you mean "trawling"? > On 25 Jan 2007, Joanne Marinelli wrote > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Do you mean "trawling"? No. As far as I'm concerned she is trolling, and I am too because I keep writing the same thing over and over again about taking the easy way out, but go ahead, keep feeding her. Perhaps her standard of living is such that AEU is keeping food in her mouth. Joanne >>>> But as so often is the case with these things, I personally think >>>> that the best words aren't on the list. Those would be "way", [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >> students that "x" is the answer because the book says that "x" is the >> answer. She's taking an extra step. >Oh come on Tony. Taking an extra step to be a good instructor should never >include constantly trolling newsgroups. You are patronizing her because she [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >the resources and ability to teach herself to do a better job without >relying on AEU as much as she does. >I do not go to the freelance journalism group everyday whining with >questions like how do I get sources or find markets--there are some things >the more experienced freelancers have taught me which are beyond my purview, >granted--but being dedicated and motivated means getting your hands dirty, >and not becoming dependent on posts from native speakers. Good Lord! The Whining Wheelchair Diva of aeu complains of whining! I've been reading and posting in aue and aeu for several years. Questions and comments on the nuances and meaning of words are the very focus of these groups. They are the acorn of almost every thread. If for no other reason, Gloria's questions are valuable because they often trigger other discussions of the use and meaning of words. You might take your own advice and self-teach yourself about punctuation and word forms considering the errors above. SignatureTony Cooper Orlando, FL Barbara Bailey in <1sbgr2l753fq94mp2rv0r1dpne1lcnujbl@4ax.com>: > But as so often is the case with these things, I personally think > that the best words aren't on the list. Those would be "way", > "method", or "option". 'Possibility' implies 'possible option' in the given context, shirley? SignatureCol Morrison > Barbara Bailey in <1sbgr2l753fq94mp2rv0r1dpne1lcnujbl@4ax.com>: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > 'Possibility' implies 'possible option' in the given context, shirley? True. But by then you've circled around to "choice," which was one of the four possible answers to the original question. SignatureBob Lieblich Hi, Gloria. Illegitimis non carburundum >Barbara Bailey in <1sbgr2l753fq94mp2rv0r1dpne1lcnujbl@4ax.com>: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >'Possibility' implies 'possible option' in the given context, shirley? Truly it does (and don't call me Shirley 8-) ) But if the students are at a level where they're still sorting out whether "D) mistake" is a viable choice or not, they're not yet at a level where I'd expect them to be able to extrapolate an implied "option" from "possibility." But that's just me. SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com >Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >Gloria ============================================== [c] is the common usage [b] makes good sense [a] is also OK =============================================== SignatureFrancis Cameron |
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