1/ What is the meaning of “militant” in this sentence? (I have looked up in many dictionaries without understanding it):
Non-smokers have become more militant about smoking in public places
(This sentence is cited from my English textbook at school)
2/ Some species of vegetation grow in fields and gardens … weeds that choke off useful plants
a. like
b. through
c. by
d. as
=> the answer for this is d, but I personally think that both a and d are right
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1-- militant = aggressive; showing a fighting disposition without self-seeking
2-- No, the grammar of the sentence requires the adverb.
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Quote:
2-- No, the grammar of the sentence requires the adverb.
=> How about this:
Some species of vegetation grow in fields and gardens such as weeds that choke off useful plants
=> If the above sentence is right, then why isn’t “like” acceptable?
Hi Ness
I believe you can not say “such like”. It is either “like” or “such as”
They are very similar in meaning and I’m not good at distingushing the differences. I can try giving you some examples:
Can someone explain the differences between these two ways? For example
Teams would love to have a good player such as Michael Jordan
Teams would love to have a good player like Michael Jordan
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I don’t see any real difference in those 2 sentences, ched, but the original sentence does not offer us ‘such’. It reads:
Some species of vegetation grow in fields and gardens as / (X) like weeds that choke off useful plants.
‘Such as’ does not work in this sentence either, for semantic reasons. Using ‘like’ or ‘such as’ makes ‘weeds’ an example of ‘vegetation that grows in fields and gardens’… so what does that make ‘useful plants’? The sentence becomes illogical.
The only solution is that ‘some species of vegetation grow as (= in the manner of) weeds’; the sentence is not a comparison at all.
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QUOTE:
‘Such as’ does not work in this sentence either, for semantic reasons. Using ‘like’ or ‘such as’ makes ‘weeds’ an example of ‘vegetation that grows in fields and gardens’… so what does that make ‘useful plants’? The sentence becomes illogical.
=> I totally agree that “as” is correct in that sentence. However, I don’t agree with you that “such as” and “like” are not acceptable here. Yes, using ‘like’ or ‘such as’ makes ‘weeds’ an example of ‘vegetation that grows in fields and gardens’, so what’s wrong with that? It means “weeds” are a kind of vegetation that grows in fields and gardens and chokes off useful plants
By the way, what do mean by saying “so what does that make ‘useful plants’?” 
Many thanks.
Nessie.
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As I said, they do not work for semantic reasons. The sentence is not discussing the kinds of plants that grow in fields & gardens; it is discussing the kinds of habitat in which plants grow.
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Sorry, may be I’m too dumb, but I still can’t understand… (+_+)