Job Discussion Forums

[Sweetsee]

1. Can you (a. assure b. surely c. ensure d. sure) that the dog won't escape?

I chose letter (c) but was unable to explain to the student why letter (a)
doesn't work. Any help greatly appreciated.

[JaredW]

You assure somebody that soething is going to happen. So assure is followed by somebody.

You ensure that something will be done. So, ensure is followed by the action.

But, both have really close etymologies.

[Sweetsee]

Thanks Jared, that was fast. And your first post, to boot.
Welcome!

I will pass that on to the student and her teacher who also came to me.


Enjoy,
s

[JaredW]

No prob. I've been lurking from California for a while now, so I decided to jump in at 12:30 AM at night.

[Sweetsee]

I noticed that you are from Sac, ever get to Clear Lake?

[abufletcher]

[abufletcher]

[abufletcher]

ASSURE:

Croft Particular are now available, and I can assure you that the full range of bottle sizes will
protection for several decades and will assure the safety of the waste during the
you without any obligation whatsoever. Let me assure you there's no catch involved, and we don't
them that they need four size 34s when they assure her they need only three. [p] It is important
She will blame your tool in its absence, I can assure you. Nevertheless, it pays at least to
If these two policemen had not died, I can assure you this government would not have taken this
buckets. A jazz band led by a pink donkey, I assure you, stomped jubilantly beside us, one of the
and can tell you how to reach her. I can assure you she's in the care of friendly and
after doing his post-grad course, that will assure him a consultancy eventually. Given the state
design. Comfortable in his ignorance, he could assure himself that it would be relatively easy to
during the series. Sadly, Jot was able to assure the BBC that the contract would never have to
powerful company.' You surely have. But let me assure you we would have come hotfoot out to help
of the kind when she used her cavern voice. I assure you - ` Coyote is not a ventriloquist's
Ruiz. St, patron," one of the men was quick to assure him. Dennison leaned back against the side of
backing to the deal. Mr Blair was unable to assure Mrs Ciller of the support of Labour meps,
This was a bit more serious. But let me assure petrolheads everywhere that, in 1996, things
s spokesman for the disabled had refused to assure them that a Labour government would enshrine
River took over Shamrock in 1989. `I can assure you that the animals are well cared for," he
colour. [p] But the islanders are quick to assure you that flowers burst into life in autumn.
use of any of the listed substances, but I can assure you none of our players need any help in
numbers that, if they are ever used, will only assure our own destruction? But if Sagan is wrong,
that is nutritionally analyzed by computer to assure a balance of 20 percent fat, 20 percent
those areas where housing is available. [p] To assure that housing is available, many communities
account held by the settlement provider to assure that the air-conditioning system is in [f]
from the seller should be placed in escrow to assure completion. Disputes Closings are sometimes
value humility, so I confess to all this to assure you I know my place in your order of things.
politics." Instead, they sought to assure workers that the church `was interested in
[p] A well-known musician, for instance, can assure an interviewer that he has forgiven his
confectioner's for a moment? [f] Nora: No, I assure you, Torvald ! [f] Helmer: Didn't try
partner to work with so together we can assure the security of the Canal, the nation and the
to--to show it to you. [p] Zwerdling: But I assure the women that I have only good impressions
he'd call them to task right away, and that, I assure you, was headlined throughout the black
Through Interpreter) As president of Russia, I assure you that even if one American has been
for Operation Restore Hope, the US mission to assure the delivery of desperately needed food to
and tested with proprietary techniques to assure a standardized quantity and potency of
to know what was safe for me to eat. So I can assure you that everything used was of good quality.
looks all round [tc text=laughter] but I can assure you it does exist. Erm it's been recorded. So
much indeed MX. Erm I think everybody will assure you [M0X] [ZGY] [F0X] this honestly was
and he won't like you going to him I can assure you of that MX. [M01] Mm. Mm. [M02] I er
in Scottish prisons for not paying fine I can assure you. Most of them er the pet the recidivist

[abufletcher]

Note that far and away the most common usage of "assure" comes in the phrase "I (can) assure you" which reveals another way that the exam item was out of step with the reality of word usage.

[Sweetsee]

Hi AbuFletcher

Nice one, haven't had time to read it but that's what I said, "I can assure you".
Then, I told her that we assure someone, while assurring her grammar was not my subject.


Enjoy,
s

[abufletcher]

[abufletcher]

a little checking shows that there are NO INSTANCES of "can you ensure" in a 56 million word corpus! There are, however, several instances of "how do you ensure." Concordancing is a great reality check whether your a student or a teacher.


strategy for your organisation? How do you ensure that the system you select is capable of
problems at the country mansion providing you ensure that it does not park on the three-hun- dred
However, this can only be done if you ensure that at the re-take stage you finish up with
teeth and bones). [p] [h] SO, HOW DO YOU ENSURE EFFECTIVE PROTECTION? [/h] Professor Rona
One is the `withdrawal method" where you ensure your partner withdraws from your vagina just
Also each pack has a feeding guide to help you ensure your animals are getting the correct
every horse or pony's diet - but how do you ensure your hay is up to scratch? CAROLYN HENDERSON
[f] So what should you eat? And how do you ensure that you are getting a healthy diet? The
expense is your telephone bill. Providing you ensure that you have local-call access to your
5000 feet or higher is better. Request you ensure your cags comply. No, repeat, no low-altitude
advisers [ZF1] how do [ZF0] how do you ensure [ZGY] [ZF1] in your [ZF0] in your service?
successful they're going to be and how do you ensure that [ZGY] [M03] Oh I [tc text=sighs] well I

[guest of Japan]

Abufletcher, since you hurt my brain with that last bit your next assignment is to create a cheap and efficient model for home based nuclear fusion.

[abufletcher]

All this simply reflects an increasingly popular view that language is basically ALL collocations and that rather than speaking about a language having a single grammar, it is better conceptualized as consisting of numerous and chaotic micro-grammars. Makes most of what is traditionally taught in grammar classes look like medieval witchcraft.

Lewis' book on the "Lexical Approach" gives a nice introduction as does Sinclair's book on Corpus Linguistics.