0
Diamondrg Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary

Shades of Meaning 6

The news was a great shock but in a few moments she ---- her thoughts and started to pack a suitcase.

A) gathered

B) mustered

C) collected

D) assembled

well, A and C seem to be equally correct. Is A better? What do you think?

I took a few moments to gather my thoughts before going into the meeting. (Longman)

I got there early so I had a few minutes to collect my thoughts before the meeting began. (Longman)
  

Top answer

Hello Diamond, I would say "either" too. You might say that "gather one's thoughts" often relates to "preparation for X", whereas "collect one's thoughts" often relates to "recovery from X"; but in that case, C would be the answer, not A. So that presumably was not the intention of the question-setter.

— MrPedantic

  • Hello Diamond, I would say "either" too.
  • You might say that "gather one's thoughts" often relates to "preparation for X", whereas "collect one's thoughts" often relates to "recovery from X"; but in that case, C would be the answer, not A.
  • So that presumably was not the intention of the question-setter.
  • In any case, I'm not sure this distinction would hold true for every speaker!
  • All the best, MrP
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

5 Answers
0
Hello Diamond,

I would say "either" too.

You might say that "gather one's thoughts" often relates to "preparation for X", whereas "collect one's thoughts" often relates to "recovery from X"; but in that case, C would be the answer, not A. So that presumably was not the intention of the question-setter.

In any case, I'm not sure this distinction would hold
0
0
I agree with your reasoning - A fits best.
0
0
Thank you, MrPedantic and Feebs.

PS: Hi, Feebs. A or C fits best? I think MrP thinks C, not A, fits best.
0
0
DiamondrgThank you, MrPedantic and Feebs.

PS: Hi, Feebs. A or C fits best? I think MrP thinks C, not A, fits best.
I hadn't seen Mr P's answer (we hit the button at the same moment). On reading, I am going to stand by my "A".
0
0
I'm going with C. To me, collecting one's thoughts (or collecting oneself) is closer to composing onself after having had unsettling news.
0

Related Questions