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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

Question

If illegal haunting of elephants for their tusks continues at the ......... rate, they will soon become extinct.
a) constant
b) current

I think two choices are suitable for this sentence, but one of them is right . can you explain why and which the right choice is?
  

Top answer

Current is the word you want. The speaker is worried about elephants becoming extinct, which he thinks will likely occur if elephants are killed at the rate they are now being killed. English is a language of fixed phrases and native speakers just wouldn't use constant in your sentence.

— Cool Breeze

  • Current is the word you want.
  • The speaker is worried about elephants becoming extinct, which he thinks will likely occur if elephants are killed at the rate they are now being killed.
  • English is a language of fixed phrases and native speakers just wouldn't use constant in your sentence.
  • A grammatical reason for not using it is the definite article the before rate.
  • To please a native's ear, it would have to be at a constant rate , but that wouldn't refer to the present rate at all.
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1 Answers
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Current is the word you want. The speaker is worried about elephants becoming extinct, which he thinks will likely occur if elephants are killed at the rate they are now being killed. English is a language of fixed phrases and native speakers just wouldn't use constant in your sentence.

A grammatical reason for not using it is the definite article the before rate.
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