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Sun 11 Feb, 2007 01:11 pm
I know the answer for the following question is (b) but I don't know the exact reason why (a) can't be the right answer. can anybody explain it for me?
Gainers and losers will be posted on the main computer screen of the stock exchange as soon as the results of the day becomes ________.
(a) released
(b) available
(c) concealed
(d) confident
Hmm well it should be become, not becomes (it's a verb matching to the word results). The sentence would also work if the word become was replaced with the word are -- then you could use answer (a). (c) and (d) are definitely wrong.
Becomes is a verb that means one thing turns into another thing, or changes into a new state.
'available' is a state, so it makes sense for something to become available
'released' is not a state or a thing, but rather a verb. Something that is 'released' naturally also changes state to 'available', so to have equivalent meaning, you could say "results of the day are released"
In this case, the word 'are' must be added to make it grammatically correct.
I agree with 'stuh505'. I really appriciate the way in which you mostly reply i.e. with good explanation and examples. So there is left no more need to consult any other reference or person. The answer is so acuurate. Are you an Englsih teacher?