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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Usage
Affect/effect & refrain/restrain
Hi!
I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect to me.
1: We managed to AFFECT/EFFECT a change in the schedule.
My answer would be EFFECT but the key says something else. According to many sources (including all the possible usage notes as at dictionary.com) the former seems at least less commonsensical to me. Who's right then?
2: He cannot REFRAIN/RESTRAIN himself from smoking.
In this case the answer provided is REFRAIN but in my opinion REFRAIN isn't used with a reflexive pronoun. So my answer would be either ' refrain form smoking' or ' restrain himself from smoking'. Dictionaries prove me right, the key - just the opposite. Help!
Thanks & regards.
Piotr Damer (http://piotrd.czuby.net/)
(www): http://kolej.czuby.net/
(mobile): +48 505 924 130
I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect to me.
1: We managed to AFFECT/EFFECT a change in the schedule.
My answer would be EFFECT but the key says something else. According to many sources (including all the possible usage notes as at dictionary.com) the former seems at least less commonsensical to me. Who's right then?
2: He cannot REFRAIN/RESTRAIN himself from smoking.
In this case the answer provided is REFRAIN but in my opinion REFRAIN isn't used with a reflexive pronoun. So my answer would be either ' refrain form smoking' or ' restrain himself from smoking'. Dictionaries prove me right, the key - just the opposite. Help!
Thanks & regards.
Piotr Damer (http://piotrd.czuby.net/)
(www): http://kolej.czuby.net/
(mobile): +48 505 924 130
Top answer
[nq:1]Hi! I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect tome. 1: We managed to AFFECT/EFFECT a change in the schedule.
- [nq:1]Hi!
- I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect tome.
- 1: We managed to AFFECT/EFFECT a change in the schedule.
- [/nq] It's ambiguous - either could work depending on the meaning.
- " suggests the change was happening and we altered its course a bit (the article 'a' here would be unusual, 'the' being more likely).
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37 Answers
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[nq:1]Hi! I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect tome. 1: We managed to AFFECT/EFFECT a change in the schedule. My answer would be EFFECT but the key says something else.[/nq]
It's ambiguous - either could work depending on the meaning. "We managed to AFFECT a change..." suggests the change was happening and we altered its course a bit (the article 'a' here would
It's ambiguous - either could work depending on the meaning. "We managed to AFFECT a change..." suggests the change was happening and we altered its course a bit (the article 'a' here would
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[nq:1]I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect to me. 1: We managed to AFFECT/EFFECT a change in the schedule.[/nq]
Given these two choices, and asked which =one= is correct, the correct answer is "effect". It is possible to set up a scenario in which "affect" might be correct, but would be contrived, like finding a grammatical sentence with the words "for you and I
Given these two choices, and asked which =one= is correct, the correct answer is "effect". It is possible to set up a scenario in which "affect" might be correct, but would be contrived, like finding a grammatical sentence with the words "for you and I
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William wrote on Thursday 16 December 2004 17:47:
[nq:1]It's ambiguous - either could work depending on the meaning. "We managed to AFFECT a change..." suggests the change was ... would be unusual, 'the' being more likely). "We managed to EFFECT a change..." is much more common and is correct.[/nq]
That's what I thought - changing a change is less common than changing the schedule
[nq:1]It's ambiguous - either could work depending on the meaning. "We managed to AFFECT a change..." suggests the change was ... would be unusual, 'the' being more likely). "We managed to EFFECT a change..." is much more common and is correct.[/nq]
That's what I thought - changing a change is less common than changing the schedule
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[nq:1]Hi! I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect tome. 1: We managed to ... all the possible usage notes as at dictionary.com) the former seems at least less commonsensical to me. Who's right then?[/nq]
Most of the time "affect" is a verb and "effect" is a noun, but there are less-common converse cases of each. Taken out of context, it is technically impossible to
Most of the time "affect" is a verb and "effect" is a noun, but there are less-common converse cases of each. Taken out of context, it is technically impossible to
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[nq:1]Hi! I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect to me. 1: We managed ... all the possible usage notes as at dictionary.com) the former seems at least less commonsensical to me. Who's right then?[/nq]
Both choices make sense, but "effect" is far more plausible, to the pernt where you can comfortably consider "affect" to be dead wrong for standard testing purposes,
Both choices make sense, but "effect" is far more plausible, to the pernt where you can comfortably consider "affect" to be dead wrong for standard testing purposes,
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[nq:1]I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect to me.[/nq]
You're right on both counts.
[nq:1]1: We managed to AFFECT/EFFECT a change in the schedule. My answer would be EFFECT but the key says something ... all the possible usage notes as at dictionary.com) the former seems at least less commonsensical to me. Who's right then?[/nq]
EFFECT is the naturally c
You're right on both counts.
[nq:1]1: We managed to AFFECT/EFFECT a change in the schedule. My answer would be EFFECT but the key says something ... all the possible usage notes as at dictionary.com) the former seems at least less commonsensical to me. Who's right then?[/nq]
EFFECT is the naturally c
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[nq:1]By the way - 'every fiteenth answer is wrong ' or 'every fifteen answers contain an error' but what about 'every fifteen' and 'be'?[/nq]
"Every fifteenth answer is wrong" sounds like what a native speaker would say. It's understood to mean "one answer out of fifteen is wrong", not necessarily numbers 15, 30, 45, 60, and so on.
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New Y
"Every fifteenth answer is wrong" sounds like what a native speaker would say. It's understood to mean "one answer out of fifteen is wrong", not necessarily numbers 15, 30, 45, 60, and so on.
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New Y
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[nq:1]Hi! I've come across a CPE test, which on 2 points seems sort of suspect tome. 1: We managed to ... form smoking' or ' restrain himself from smoking'. Dictionaries prove me right, the key - just the opposite. Help!
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William wrote on Thursday 16 December 2004 17:47:
[nq:1]It's ambiguous - either could work depending on the meaning. "We managed to AFFECT a change..." suggests the change was ... would be unusual, 'the' being more likely). "We managed to EFFECT a change..." is much more common and is correct.[/nq]
That's what I thought - changing a change is less common than changing the schedule
[nq:1]It's ambiguous - either could work depending on the meaning. "We managed to AFFECT a change..." suggests the change was ... would be unusual, 'the' being more likely). "We managed to EFFECT a change..." is much more common and is correct.[/nq]
That's what I thought - changing a change is less common than changing the schedule
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