help!!my uni entance exam~

try again · Post by **try again** » 09 Jun 2006 14:10

make a choice plz:

There's no light on--they __at home.
A.can't B.mustn't C.needn't D.shouldn't

and here:
http://learning.sohu.com/20060608/n243633258_12.shtml

THIS 76-85 requires u to correct it. as each line has sth wrong,but only one line is totally correct. and u should point out the wrong one.it may be lackin of a word,or a word that is uneccessary added,or the word is wrong.

thx very much for ur help!

damiro · Post by **damiro** » 09 Jun 2006 14:42

The correct answer according to me is "can't" => impossibility

mustn't isn't correct because it'd have a sense of banning

ANTHOS · Post by **ANTHOS** » 11 Jun 2006 19:03

The word be was left out of your sentence

There's no light on--they __ be at home.

The answer can be A ou B , but B is rarely used; they are both referring to certainty rather than possibility.

I think that the negative of can/could is more used for expressing certainty rather than possibility.

Lance Vogt · Post by **Lance Vogt** » 16 Nov 2006 03:07

B is rarely used but would be correct. You're assuming they aren't home because the lights are out, but what if they're in bed? Mustn't indicates that you are making the assumption. (It's my first time on this forum and I just had to contribute something, but I don't know any sanskrit.)

dYShock · Post by **dYShock** » 16 Nov 2006 05:14

try again wrote:There's no light on--they __at home.
A.can't B.mustn't C.needn't D.shouldn't

The answer is B. Here's why:

There is no light on - they can't be at home:
Doesn't really make sense. What if the lights were off because they were sleeping? Besides, it is somewhat unimaginable that someone can not be home. After all, it's home, and one is normally allowed to be home, right?

There is no light on - they needn't be at home:
Do I really have to explain? "To need" expresses necessity, and there is no obvious relation between the necessity of being home, and whether the lights are on or off.

There is no light on - they shouldn't be at home:
"Should" expresses an advice or a supposition. Yes, the sentence might be appropriate, if the speaker expresses the wish that there is nobody home, or if they assume that nobody is. "They shouldn't be at home, since they told me they would only be back at nine o'clock, and it's only eight o'clock right now." But other than that...

Therefore, B appears to be the most appropriate answer. If anyone could correct me, I'd appreciate it of course, but I'm pretty sure I'm correct.