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SeasonedVet · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 236 Location: Japan

Here are the two sentences from the passage to provide you with context if you need it:
He remarked that he wished he could hire some people(62) to eat different kinds of food and chemicals and then allow the contents of their stomachs to be examined.

After class two students went up to him and offered(63) to eat the special meals.

The instructions (as far as the teacher could explain to me) is to choose the sentence in which the word/verb is "doing the same work" as the underlined one in the example.

(62) to eat
a) I want to buy the same dictionary as you have
b) John went to London to see the lights.
c) John didn't have money to buy the furniture for his new room.
d) Mary was pleased to hear the news.

(63) to eat
a) Mary had no friends to talk about the matter with.
b) Many Japanese like to have nori for breakfast.
c) This bridge is not strong enough for the Lorry to cross.
d) How careless he is to have lost his umbrella.

I remember (64) hearing about a a student who worked his way through college selling christmas trees.
a) I had my cat feeding on canned food.
b) I can't get along well with people working at the same office.
c) I can see the birds hopping on the tree.
d) Walking along the streets in the morning is good to your health.

Kootvela · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 513 Location: Lithuania

The instructions are too puzzling, I'm afraid,

Yawarakaijin · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 504 Location: Middle of Nagano

Agreed. I think what the lesson is trying to get at is the different feelings the use of the infinitive can create but it is not very clear.

Is it the use of the infitive to express purpose or intent versus mere order of occurence?

I went to see him. Expressing why you went somewhere

I want to go. Not expressing why you "want" but showing simple logical order.

....?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

They want you to choose phrases that use words which have the same part of speech as the underlined ones. Weird directions anyway.

62. "to eat" is used to modify "people".
So, in that sense, c is the only correct answer.

63. "to eat" is used as an object of the verb "offered"
So, the correct answer is b, which also uses the infinitive phrase as an object of a verb.

64. "hearing" is the object of the verb "remember". That makes it a noun.
So, d is the only correct answer to me because it is the subject of the sentence. The others are adjectives modifying the nouns preceding them.

Who the heck is this test for?

Kootvela · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 513 Location: Lithuania

*runs away screaming*

Mapleblondie · Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 93 Location: Canada

Kootvela, haha...I had the same impression. I have a pretty decent grasp of English grammar, but that just flew right over my head. LOL. I'll join in on the screaming and running now!...Hehe.

Kootvela · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 513 Location: Lithuania

*hides in bushes and shivers*

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

AAAAAAARRRRRGHH

Now you know why Japanese kids hate English

Seriously the Education Authorities fill their heads up with this inane grammatical crap so much that they have no space to actually apply it in a real life setting.

This is why I avoid teaching high school kids. Elementary kids haven't been damaged and Oldies have forgotten it all.