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Lcchang Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary
TOEIC/ spend too much
When will the conference room be free?
(A) I don't know how much it will cost
(B) We've managed to spend too much already
(C) The meeting should be over in an hour
The correct answer is (C). No question about that.
However, in answer (B). "We've managed to spend too much already." sounds illogical to me. I think when we manage to do something, such as conserving water, we should always manage to keep it spent "less" rather than "too much". Am I right? Please advise.
(A) I don't know how much it will cost
(B) We've managed to spend too much already
(C) The meeting should be over in an hour
The correct answer is (C). No question about that.
However, in answer (B). "We've managed to spend too much already." sounds illogical to me. I think when we manage to do something, such as conserving water, we should always manage to keep it spent "less" rather than "too much". Am I right? Please advise.
Top answer
I see your point: manage usually implies control, and answer (B) suggests a lack of control. But manage is sometimes used a bit ironically like this, to describe a negative cumulative result of many actions or a series of events. I tried rock climbing this weekend, and managed to break my ankle.
- I see your point: manage usually implies control, and answer (B) suggests a lack of control.
- But manage is sometimes used a bit ironically like this, to describe a negative cumulative result of many actions or a series of events.
- I tried rock climbing this weekend, and managed to break my ankle.
- This is especially common if the extremity of the result is surprising: He managed to get himself in quite a lot of debt for such a short vacation.
- If you think about it as management , what we're implying is poor management, or management toward a negative result.
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3 Answers
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I see your point: manage usually implies control, and answer (B) suggests a lack of control.
But manage is sometimes used a bit ironically like this, to describe a negative cumulative result of many actions or a series of events.
But manage is sometimes used a bit ironically like this, to describe a negative cumulative result of many actions or a series of events.
This is especially common if the extremity of t
I tried rock climbing this weekend, and managed to break my ankle.
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Another way to think of it is that here, manage is used to convey the responsibility of management, not the accomplishment.
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Lcchangwhen we manage to do somethingCompare:
I see you've managed to spill water all over the table in making just one glass of lemonade!
It is possible to succeed at doing (manage to do) something disastrous. You can use 'manage' like this to deliver criticism.
CJ
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