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Hi teachers,According to this sentence, which is the correct option?Joe began to get very interested.a) How did Joe begin to get?b) How did Joe begin to feel?c) How did Joe begin to be?None of the above?Thanks in advance

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

First, what do you think?

Clive

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Hi Clive,
I thought so. Because we have the verb get in the sentence and we don't have the verbs 'feel' and 'be'. Am I right?

It is like this one:
How was Aunt Polly when she saw the beautifil white fence?
She was very pleased.

The question and the answer are correct aren't they?

But I also think that I could use this question:
How did Aunt Polly feel when she saw the beautiful white fence?
She was very pleased. (this one may be wrong)
She felt very pleased. (this one it is right)

If we have the verb 'feel' in the question we must use it in the answer, and if we have the verb 'be' in the question we must use it in the answer. They are not interchangeable, are they?

Clive · Answer

Hi,
You misinterpreted my post.
When I said 'First, what do you think?', 'First' meant 'before I tell you the answer'.

Let's consider the choics.
Joe began to get very interested.
a) How did Joe begin to get? This is probably what the examner wants you to choose. But 'how' is not very idiomatic here. 'What' is more natural, in my opinion..

b) How did Joe begin to feel? This is a natural response. There is no strict rule that you must repeat the verb 'get'.

c) How did Joe begin to be? Not natural.

I don't really think this is a well-written test question.

I thought so. Because we have the verb get in the sentence and we don't have the verbs 'feel' and 'be'. Am I right? See my comment above.

It is like this one:
How was Aunt Polly when she saw the beautifil white fence?
She was very pleased. Sounds fine.

The question and the answer are correct aren't they?

But I also think that I could use this question:
How did Aunt Polly feel when she saw the beautiful white fence?
She was very pleased. (this one may be wrong)
She felt very pleased. (this one it is right)
Both of these choices are OK.

If we have the verb 'feel' in the question we must use it in the answer, and if we have the verb 'be' in the question we must use it in the answer. They are not interchangeable, are they?

In contexts like the above, they are.
eg I am angry. eg I feel angry.

Clive

Tenacious Learner · Answer

CliveWhen I said 'First, what do you think?', 'First' meant 'before I tell you the answer'.

You are right. I completely misinterpreted your sentence. To understand what I did you should have written something like that, 'it is first. What do you think?'

So according to what I understood, these two are the correct options to the given answer.

a) What did Joe begin to feel?
b) How did Joe begin to feel?

He began to get very interested.

These two are also the correct answers to the given question.

How did Aunt Polly feel when she saw the beautiful white fence?
a) She was very pleased.
b) She felt very pleased.

So in questions like the given one you can use both of the given verbs in the answer, 'was' and feel'.

TS

Clive · Answer

Y
ou are right. I completely misinterpreted your sentence. To understand what I did you should have written something like that, 'it is first. What do you think?'

So according to what I understood, these two are the correct options to the given answer.
a) What did Joe begin to feel? When I said 'What'. it waas for the sentence 'What did Joe begin to get?'. For 'What did Joe begin to feel', you are likely to get the answer in noun form, ie 'He began to feel (some) interest.
'b) How did Joe begin to feel?
He began to get very interested.

These two are also the correct answers to the given question.
How did Aunt Polly feel when she saw the beautiful white fence?
a) She was very pleased. Fine

b) She felt very pleased. Fine

So in questions like the given one you can use both of the given verbs in the answer, 'was' and feel'.
Yes. 'Get' is a little trickier. It's also different, because it relates to 'become'.

Clive

Tenacious Learner · Answer

Thank you Clive for your commentaries, teaching, and dedication.

Clive · Answer

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