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An English grammar question is confusing me again. While learning English, I ran into a question from an English learning book, which confuses me a lot. The question says, among the five phrases, there is one that sounds unnatural and incorrect in grammar. However, they all sound perfectly natural to me. So, could you tell me the answer and what should it be changed into? Here is the text: "Westerners, especially Americans, [tend to think] of a friend as someone [whose] company they enjoy. A friend can [ask for] help if necessary, but it [is considered] poor form to cultivate a friendship primarily for what can [be gained] from that person." a. tend to think b. whose c. ask for d. is considered e. be gained
Mar 5, 2015 4:03 PM
Answers · 7
1
They all sound fine to me.
March 5, 2015
1
I have stared at this for ten minutes and I can't figure out what they are trying to show. I guess at a stretch you could say that 'e' is wrong (be gained), as it is a hypothetical situation they might be looking for you to answer something like "It is considered poor form to cultivate a friendship primarily for what may be gained from that person", but I really think that is too much of a wild guess to be right. I agree with Su.ki, all of these seem to me to be perfect sentences.
March 5, 2015
1
Agreed. All seem natural though somewhat on the formal side. What stands out to me is that this seems to have been written by a British author because of the use of the phrase "poor form". In this context, that is just not the way an American would say it.
March 5, 2015
1
It all looks fine to me. Nothing strikes me as ungrammatical or unnatural.
March 5, 2015
Thank you all for answering! Great help to me. The question-maker must have made a mistake.
March 5, 2015
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