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lcyi...@yahoo.com

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Aug 17, 2012, 2:52:44 AM8/17/12
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Dear all,
Please help me with the following question. Thanks a lot!

Some people think that cartoons are just for kids. _____ this, you might be surprised that many grown-ups have never really forgotten those cte cartoon faces they grew up with.
a)As b) In spite of c) Judging from

The correct answer is B. I would like to know if the answer " c" is correct as well. Thank you very much!

Ian Jackson

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Aug 17, 2012, 5:52:08 AM8/17/12
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In message <2290fa5c-2096-496a...@googlegroups.com>,
lcyi...@yahoo.com writes
Well...

"As" could not possibly be correct (it's not even grammatically
correct).

"Judging from" is grammatically correct, but it doesn't quite make
sense. What judgement is being made (by the reader)? It actually makes
more sense simply to use "From this, ". However, "However, " (which
throws doubt on the truth of statement) would be better.

But from the context, it is obvious that "In spite of" is what is
required.

PS: What is "cte"?
--
Ian

Anton Shepelev

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Aug 17, 2012, 5:55:18 AM8/17/12
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Ian Jackson:

> PS: What is "cte"?

cute?

--
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/\ www.asciiribbon.org - against proprietary attachments

Don Phillipson

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Aug 17, 2012, 11:16:58 AM8/17/12
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> In message <2290fa5c-2096-496a...@googlegroups.com>,
> lcyi...@yahoo.com writes
>>Dear all,
>> Please help me with the following question. Thanks a lot!
>>
>> Some people think that cartoons are just for kids. _____ this, you
>> might be surprised that many grown-ups have never really forgotten those
>> cte cartoon faces they grew up with.
>> a)As b) In spite of c) Judging from
>>
>> The correct answer is B. I would like to know if the answer " c"
>> is correct as well. Thank you very much!

"Ian Jackson" <ianREMOVET...@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:e11PpvPI...@g3ohx.demon.co.uk...

> "As" could not possibly be correct (it's not even grammatically correct).
>
> "Judging from" is grammatically correct, but it doesn't quite make sense.
> What judgement is being made (by the reader)? It actually makes more sense
> simply to use "From this, ". However, "However, " (which throws doubt on
> the truth of statement) would be better.
>
> But from the context, it is obvious that "In spite of" is what is
> required.

"Obvious" points to a problem here, viz. determining the solution
by common usage among English speakers. This is a point of
syntax, not grammar. This a bad test question because ambiguous.
Grammar is what tells us answer a) must be wrong: but grammar
does not tell us why to prefer b) over c).

This confusion between points of grammar (right/wrong under rules
we can find in textbooks) and points of syntax (where preferences
can be found, but not determined by rules i.e. not right/wrong)
is common in textbooks and web sites written by people whose
command of the language is incomplete.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)


Glenn Knickerbocker

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Aug 17, 2012, 7:19:58 PM8/17/12
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On 8/17/2012 2:52 AM, lcyi...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Some people think that cartoons are just for kids. _____ this, you
> might be surprised that many grown-ups have never really forgotten
> those cte cartoon faces they grew up with.
> a)As b) In spite of c) Judging from
>
> The correct answer is B. I would like to know if the answer " c"
> is correct as well. Thank you very much!

I'd say B is wrong and only C is correct. The clause it modifies is
"you might be surprised." You'd be surprised if you expected grownups
not to know cartoons. You would have that expectation *because* they're
just for kids, not *despite* that.

B would have to modify the noun clause rather than the main clause:

You might be surprised that, in spite of this, many grownups etc.

ŹR
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