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Which expression is better? Yesterday,I talked with my father about some questions in order to comprehend each other better. But I found it difficult. I can not get the destination. Can the last sentence be changed into the following?which sentence is better? I can't reach the destination. I can't attain the destination.
Nov 7, 2012 10:43 PM
Answers · 9
reach (verb) collocates with destination (noun) A collocation means two words that go together, or, where the meaning of the two together is more precise than the two words on their own. "To reach a destination" is actually one idea, not just four words. ... Attain means to get or achieve something ... hard to get or achieve. The first colllocate that comes to mind for "attain" is "enlightment" The Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Attain is not a common word.
November 8, 2012
“Reach”, “attain” and “accomplish” presuppose attainment of certain objectives. Reach connotes arriving at a goal through effort and progress. Example: We’ll have to stop and camp here. It’s getting dark and we’ll never reach our destination today. Attain may imply great effort and pride in reaching a level or goal. He attained a high academic level. (BTW, “attain” is commonly used in the US.) Accomplish connotes successful completion. He managed to accomplish all his goals. The primary meaning of “get” is to attain or acquire. It’s a very commonly used word and is often used in phrasal verb combinations, such as “get across” – to make understandable or clear, to communicate one’s meaning. Example: Am I getting this across to you? I would write your sentences this way. 我用地道的话。 Yesterday I talked to my father about some things that would help us to understand each other better, but it was hard. I couldn’t get my point across. (I couldn’t get him to understand what I was saying.) The word “hard” is frequently used for “difficult” in everyday speech. You could also say, “It was futile” or “My efforts were futile.” Futile means having no useful result.
November 20, 2012
Thank you,Richard, it's clear.
November 11, 2012
Your problem is not with the verb, but with the word (noun) "destination". The word destination is usually used when referring to a geographical location, e.g. If I travel to China, then China is my destination. I would recommend using the noun "goal or objective". I would write the sentence as follows: "I could not attain/achieve my objective/goal."
November 8, 2012
I want to ask you which verb is correct in above sentence,The verbs are reach,get and attain.
November 8, 2012
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