195. Tricky Word Contrasts 7

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Some pairs of words are easily confused because of close similarities in spelling and/or meaning

THE PROBLEM OF TRICKY WORD CONTRASTS

Most users of English have encountered vocabulary items that are easily confused because they resemble each other in spelling and/or meaning. A well-known example – often explained in English language coursebooks – is stationary (= not moving) versus stationery (= writing materials). The problem is that such pairs are very numerous in English, and many are never highlighted so that they remain completely unrecognised, or at least not fully differentiated.

It is vocabulary pairs like this, especially ones that are likely to occur in professional writing, that are the focus of the present post, just as they are of various others with a similar title (see the “Posts on Specific Words” page for a complete list). Other Guinlist posts that deal with vocabulary confusions include 16. Ways of Distinguishing Similar Words,  44. Troublesome Prepositional Verbs,  94. Essay Instruction Words and 211. General Words for People.

For some grammar confusions, see 100. What is a Grammar Error?,  129. Differences between Necessity Verbs, 133. Confusions of Similar Structures and 217. Tricky Grammar Contrasts 1. For some pronunciation ones, see 144. Words that are Often Heard Wrongly.

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LIST OF CONTRASTS

1. “Urge” versus “Argue”

These verbs are not just similar in meaning. They are spelt with almost the same letters (in different orders) and, for some speakers, they sound similar too. Argue should have two syllables (ar-gue) and be pronounced /ɑ: gju:/; urge has one, /з:dʒ/. Confusion of the pronunciations often arises because one or both of the two sounds in urge is hard to pronounce. If /з:/ is absent from the speaker’s mother tongue, it is often pronounced /ɑ:/, the same as in argue. If /dʒ/ is absent, it is likely to be made into two syllables, again resulting in a pronunciation more like that of argue.

Meaning-wise, both words signal speaking in order to influence other people. Urging is forcefully telling (but not ordering) someone to act in a particular way – a strong kind of advising. It can introduce direct or indirect speech. The most usual type of indirect speech is “indirect commands”, where the urged person/ people is the object of URGE and the urged behaviour follows in the form of a to verb, e.g. urge students to revise (see 208. Verbs with an Object + Infinitive, #3). An alternative use is with that…, or the urged behaviour can be the object by itself, as either an -ing verb or “action” noun, e.g. urge revising/ revision. A common example of urging is sports fans in a stadium telling their team to try harder.

Arguing, on the other hand, is trying to influence people by reasoning. It involves an opinion about what they should do or believe, and some kind of evidence to explain why (see 167. Ways of Arguing 1). It is typically followed by a that statement expressing the opinion, though it can also have for plus a desired behaviour (e.g. argue for change). Arguments are common in politics, academic writing and business policy documents.

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2. “Intent” versus “Intention”

Grammatically, intention is a countable noun, intent uncountable. However, intent has a special countable use in the fixed expression to all intents and purposes (= “virtually”: see 209. Fixed Phrases with “and”). Intent is not to be confused with the adjective of the same spelling, which means “determinedly trying to achieve…” and is normally followed by on + action (see 111. Words with a Typical Preposition).

Both nouns refer to someone’s mental picture of future action that they have decided to carry out. The main difference appears to be one of generality: intentions are precise action plans, whereas intent is often vaguer, leaving open the possibility of choosing between different precise actions to achieve it. Thus, one might have the intent of donating to a charity and, to achieve it, the intention of acquiring its address or writing a cheque. Both meanings resemble that of aim, but aims tend to be further in the future and usually imply major intervening obstacles (see 114. Tricky Word Contrasts 3, #5).

The greater vagueness of intent often results in the planned action being described rather than specified, usually by means of an adjective. There are some very particular adjectives that are found, including altruistic, contractual, criminal, emotional, evil, (dis)honest, ideological, malicious, revolutionary and selfish. The typical moral tone of such adjectives perhaps explains why intent tends to be used in areas where people’s thoughts are analysed, such as law, religion and psychoanalysis. Intention is probably the more common noun in English as a whole.

Note that both words can be followed by a to verb specifying the future action (see 239. Noun Phrases Made with a “to” Verb), but a verb after intention is perhaps more often in the -ing form after of (the intention of resting).

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3. “At this moment” versus “At the moment”

Although both of these refer to “now”, they express different perceptions of it. At this moment views it as a single brief point in time, and says nothing about previous or later situations either resembling or differing from it.  A more emphatic version adds very or exact before moment. Its past and future equivalent is at that (very) moment.

At the moment, by contrast, refers to a longer period of present time, stretching from the recent past through the present and into the near future. It is also more suggestive of a temporary situation, implying possible change in the near future (see 157. Tricky Word Contrasts 5, #2). Its past and future equivalent is at that time or alternatively, for the past, at the time.

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4. “Take time” versus “Take one’s time”

The first of these means “spend much time”, the second “go slowly”. Typical uses might be:

(a) Trees take time growing to maturity.

(b) Take your time reading the contract.

Various grammar forms are possible after the word time. If you have a verb, as above (growing, reading), it can be in the to… or -ing form, depending on whether its meaning is viewed as a complete action or an ongoing situation (for more on this contrast, see 103. Commenting with “It” on a Later Verb). Alternatively, there might be a preposition phrase – e.g. …with the contract in (b) – or nothing at all.

There seem to be two particular sub-uses of take one’s time: The one illustrated above is delay in order to be careful; the other is delay in order to protest, as when children might take their time to go to bed at night. This latter equates to the more colourful drag one’s heels (see 241. Some Common Figurative Phrases, #2).

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5. “What about…?” versus “Tell me about…”

Direct questions are quite often used in English for other purposes than seeking information. Well-known examples are will you… or may I… for requesting (see 237. Auxiliary Verbs in Professional Communication, #10) and why… for complaining. Questions with what about very often lack an information-seeking purpose too. With a following -ing verb they are usually suggestions (What about visiting …?), while with a noun they can be reminders implying “you may have forgotten…” (see 274. Questions with a Hidden Meaning, #8 and #9).

Nevertheless, with a following noun what about can also be information-seeking, meaning “tell me/us about…”. However, care is necessary to use it in the right places, since sometimes there is a need instead to say (could you) tell me/us or, more formally, it would be useful to know. The key condition for using what about to acquire information seems to be immediately-preceding conversation on a different topic within the same category, like this:

(c) So Venus is far too hostile a planet for human habitation. What about Mars?

Mars here continues a conversation about planets but opens a new sub-topic. Where information-seeking what about would be inappropriate is at the very start of a conversation, or after discussion of a completely different topic, such as types of coffee.

A further problem with what about questions is how to ask them in indirect form. For some advice on this, see 185. Noun Synonyms of Question Words (under “Compound Question Words”).

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6. “Persons” versus “People”

An aspect of people that elementary courses often mention is that it is actually two different words: either the singular of peoples (= ethnic groups or nationalities) or the plural of a person (= someone). It is the latter meaning that I wish to consider here.

Like any plural noun, people without any words before it is usable with either a general meaning (= all at any time) or a specific one (= some at one particular time). Examples are:

(d) People need to breathe. (general)

(e) People came out to help. (specific)

For more on the use in (d), see 211. General Words for People.

Persons is also a plural of a person, but it differs from people in two ways. Firstly, when used without words in front of it, it cannot refer to everyone in existence: it could not replace people in (d). Instead, it always refers to a group in a particular situation, at either one particular time (= specific) or any time (= general) e.g.:

(f) Persons entering this building do so at their own risk.

Secondly, persons is quite rare in most types of English. Its most usual context is legal documents and public instructions or warnings like (f). This means it would be very unlikely in a sentence like (e).

194. Adverbs that Say How Much

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English has numerous adverbs that set the meaning strength of verbs, adjectives or adverbs

THE PROBLEM WITH DEGREE ADVERBS

Adverbs that say how much (so-called “intensifiers” or “adverbs of degree”) are one of many adverb subgroups that can be identified through their meaning (see 120. Six Things to Know about Adverbs, #1). They indicate the strength of a neighbouring verb, adjective, adverb or preposition. Two examples that are considered in detail elsewhere in these pages are much and very (see 98. “Very”, “Much” and “Very Much”).

Degree adverbs are surprisingly numerous. They vary not just according to their meaning but also, in some cases, according to the grammatical class of their partner word, or to the different forms of that word, or to their own level of formality. This means, of course, that choosing the right one in a particular situation can be a problem.

This post explores the use of degree adverbs with adjectives and adverbs on the one hand, and with verbs on the other. For use with prepositions, see 262. Adverbs that Describe a Preposition.

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DEGREE ADVERBS WITH ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

Most of the adjectives and adverbs that degree adverbs are found with are “gradable” – indicative of a quality that can exist in different amounts. For example, happy is gradable because we can increase or decrease our happiness, but alive is not gradable because there are no greater or lesser amounts of life – if there is less we are no longer alive at all.

A complication is that the very concept of gradability is subjective, so that some apparently non-gradable adjectives and adverbs, such as able and certain, are sometimes used like gradable ones (a possible cause of misunderstanding: see 233. Structures with a Double Meaning 3, #3). Moreover, some adjectives that are definitely non-gradable are sometimes used with a degree adverb for dramatic effect, e.g. half dead.

Some degree adverbs can be fitted on a continuum from low to high strength; others cannot.

Continuum Adverbs

A special problem in choosing a continuum adverb for an adjective or adverb is that it depends on not just the strength to be expressed but also whether the adjective/adverb is in its base, comparative or superlative form: continuum adverbs usable with any of these forms are rare. The main possibilities are:

Typical Continuum Adverbs in Ascending Order of Strength

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Various observations can be made about this list.

1. Very Slightly

An alternative, particularly before comparatives and superlatives, is fractionally or the slightly informal just about. With superlatives, any use of the normally follows the degree adverb, e.g. fractionally the most difficult (for situations requiring the with superlatives, see the end of 82. Common Errors in Making Comparisons).

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2. Slightly

An alternative to this before both base and comparative adjectives / adverbs is (just) a little, e.g. (just) a little hard(er). A bit is also possible, but is informal (see 108. Formal and Informal Words). Before preposition-like adverbs, slightly and just are interchangeable (just/slightly above).

Marginally is usable with comparatives as well as superlatives. With a superlative, any use of the again follows it.

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3. Quite

The strength of this word is around 40%. Most English coursebooks, however, observe that it becomes 100% (= “completely”) before “non-gradable” adjectives / adverbs like certain(ly), complete(ly), correct(ly),  perfect(ly) and the same. To express approximately 40% similarity, one should either say quite similar or roughly the same (see 231 Confusions of Similar Structures 3, #2).

The main alternatives to quite are fairly, moderately, rather, relatively, to a degree, up to a point and informal pretty. Moderately is common in data analyses (see 115. Surveying Numerical Data, #3). To a degree and up to a point tend to follow their partner word rather than go before (e.g. difficult to a degree). Up to a point is useful for showing partial agreement (see 152. Agreeing and Disagreeing in Formal Contexts, #2 “Agreeing”).

Coursebooks often say that fairly goes with positive-sounding words like freely and happy, rather with negative ones like ill (see 193. A Test of Formal Language Use, #25). Rather is even possible with nouns (see 313. Adverbs Linked Closely to a Noun, #1). These meanings make it possible to change the way a word sounds. Fairly easy, for instance, might positively describe something needing to be easy like finding employment, while rather easy might be a complaint about something needing to be difficult, such as fitness training.

With comparative adjectives and adverbs, alternatives to moderately are appreciably, relatively, somewhat, to a degree and (placed after) up to a point. A following up to a point can also replace to a degree with superlatives.

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4. Very

For detailed discussion of this word, see 98. “Very”, “Much” and “Very Much”. One common error particularly highlighted there is very much before base-form adjectives.

Very before base adjectives (not adverbs) is sometimes replaceable by greatly. Adjectives allowing this include ambitious, apparent, beneficial, important, responsible and unfair – excluded adjectives are usually short everyday ones like good, fast and high. Another very alternative, equally possible with base adjectives and adverbs, is informal really. In addition, well can accompany a few base adjectives (well aware) and various preposition-like adverbs (inside, outside, above etc: see 256. Unusual Meanings of Familiar Words, #2).

Very must become so before a later consequential that… (e.g. …is so clever that… – see 32. Expressing Consequences), and so is increasingly common even without one (…is so clever – see 156. Mentioning what the Reader Knows Already, #5). Note also only too (see 251. The Grammar of “Only”, #6).

With comparatives, possible “very” words include much (much better), far, considerably, greatly, substantially, informal a lot and ironic rather. With superlatives, the possibilities include much the (much the best), substantially the and the very.

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5. Extremely

This has numerous synonyms before base forms, but many are restricted to particular adjectives or adverbs, forming “collocations” (see 16. Ways of Distinguishing Similar Words, #5). Common examples are seriously ill, painfully aware, vitally important, fiercely loyal, bitterly opposed, woefully inadequate, heavily indebted, sharply critical, deeply sorry, hugely indebted, massively aware and highly contagious.

More widely usable with base forms are most (without the: see 82. Common Errors in Making Comparisons), terrifically (see 284. Words with a Surprising Meaning, #4) and the slightly informal ever so (see 272. Uses of “Ever”, #5).

With both comparatives and superlatives, a widely-usable alternative to very much is easily (e.g. easily higher/the highest). In addition, superlatives (always with the) can follow quite, by far and far and away (see 305. Wording next to Superlatives, #6). They can also precede by far (see 292. Synonym Pairs with Contrasting Grammar 2, #6).

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Other Degree Adverbs

One kind of degree adverb that does not fit easily into the above table shows not the overall strength of a following adjective or adverb, but strength in relation to something else. One group – more, less, (the) most and (the) least – forms comparative and superlative adjectives / adverbs. Related to these are doubly, equality-showing as and equally, and so or that meaning “as much as that” (see 153. Conjunction Uses of “that”).

As has or implies a second as – not an adverb, but a preposition with a subsequent noun. This noun names something that an earlier-mentioned noun matches in terms of the adjective or adverb meaning. Thus, in X is as high as Y, X matches Y in the quality expressed by high (see 149. Saying how Things are Similar).

Also notable are enough and sufficiently, which say the amount of an adjective or adverb quality has reached or passed a necessary minimum; and too, excessively and overly, which indicate undesirable excess (see also only too in 251. The Grammar of “Only”, #6). The following example of enough is from 189. Expressing Sufficiency:

(a) People were wealthy enough to own a car.

Enough is unusual in needing to follow its adjective (wealthy). Too, of course, goes before. Both (along with sufficiently) have or imply a following to verb of consequence (see 32. Expressing Consequences).

Another group of adverbs makes an adjective or adverb amount sound negative or insufficient. Examples are hardly, scarcely, pitifully, barely, little, half, partly and almost. Collocations are common, e.g. barely enough and little interested. Similar are expressions with percent, as in 6 percent full and 25% better (see 201. Words with Complicated Grammar 1, #2).

How before adjectives and adverbs (e.g. How far…?) enquires about a quantity without suggesting its size (see 285. Complexities of Question Words, #8).

Finally, there are exactness and completeness adverbs, especially exactly, just, absolutely, completely, fully, perfectly, quite (+ non-gradable adjective / adverb), right, totally, utterly and wholly. Some are quite collocational, e.g. perfectly possible, just ridiculous and totally inadequate. Right typically accompanies preposition-like adverbs such as above, through and alongside.

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DEGREE ADVERBS WITH VERBS

Many of the above adverbs can accompany a verb:

(b) Children thrive if they play enough.

Exceptions – more likely with adjectives and adverbs – include pretty, relatively, so, too and very. Quite and rather are similar, since only a few verbs combine with them, especially LIKE, PREFER and WANT (not quite, though, is much more widely usable, and quite meaning “completely” often accompanies [DIS]AGREE and OPPOSE). Note that easily, fairly, far and really used with verbs are not degree adverbs.

On the other hand, there are some adverbs that go more typically with verbs than adjectives/adverbs. Most seem to mean “very much” or “extremely”. They do not make up all of the verb-partnering adverbs with this meaning – utterly, for example goes equally well with verbs or adjectives. Like their adjective-partnering equivalents, they are very varied and form numerous collocations. Common collocations include fail miserably, wholeheartedly agree, heavily outnumber, bitterly complain, badly miss, hotly deny, fiercely oppose, widely differ and fervently hope.

Also notable is all but (= “almost completely”). Often the partner verb is in a past tense or passive voice. Typical examples are collapsed, finished, recovered and succeeded.

Adverbs may go before or after a verb. However, care is needed, when the verb has an object, not to place the adverb between the two – heavily, for example, should follow opponents in outnumber their opponents, not outnumber (see 120. Six Things to Know about Adverbs, #3). Note also that absolutely is usable only after some verbs – perhaps those with a “non-gradable” meaning like DISAGREE and DISAPPEAR. It would be unlikely, for example, after SUFFER or INCREASE.

Finally, care is needed not to confuse degree adverbs next to a verb with pronouns, since some words, such as enough, can be either. Pronoun uses occupy typical noun positions in a sentence like subject and object. In (b), enough is not the subject (= children) and not the object because play here has a meaning that does not need an object. Enough would become the object, and hence a pronoun, if the verb were do instead.

Other words that can combine with a verb as either a degree adverb or a pronoun include a bit, (a) little, less, least, a lot, much, very much, more and most. Note, though, that much is quite rare with a positive verb. For examples with a lot, see 193. A Test of Formal Language Use, #13.

193. A Test of Formal Language Use

 

Here is a short test for measuring and increasing ability to write in a formal style

THE NATURE OF THE TEST

Two of the most popular posts in this blog are 46. How to Avoid “I”, “We” and “You” and 108. Formal and Informal Words. The fact that they both deal with formal style suggests that this aspect of English is of particular interest to Guinlist readers. As a result, it seems a good idea to offer something that allows the content of both posts, as well as of others on a similar theme, to be revised and practised.

This post is similar to 138. Grammar Command Test 1 and 214. Grammar Command Test 2: it invites readers to identify and correct deliberate errors in a short paragraph, and then discusses the corrections. The errors this time, however, are of style rather than grammar (for the difference, see 100. What is a Grammar Error?).

A list of major style topics considered elsewhere in this blog is in 166. Appropriacy in Professional English. The full range of the Guinlist posts on formal style can be accessed by clicking on “Formal Style” in the CATEGORIES menu on the right of this page.

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THE TEST PARAGRAPH

The paragraph below has numerous informal expressions that are best avoided in formal writing. Readers are invited to identify them and suggest formal equivalents. A list of answers with explanations follows the paragraph, and the paragraph itself is rewritten at the end of the post.

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IDENTIFICATION OF INFORMALITIES

The paragraph contains at least 28 informal expressions. Success in recognising and suitably rewriting at least 20 of them with very few unnecessary changes probably indicates good knowledge of formal English style.

1. can’t monkeys

Words with missing letters (“contractions”) should be written out in full in formal style: cannot instead of can’t.

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2. Why…?

This is a direct question introducing a topic. Indirect questions are more common for such a purpose in formal writing, though not compulsory. An indirect question needs introductory wording like One may wonder… or A key question is… (see 219. Wording next to Indirect Questions). The question itself should have its subject monkeys before all of the verb cannot speak (…why monkeys cannot speak…), and should end with a full stop, not a question mark (see 57. Indirect Questions in Formal Writing).

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3. You might think

You is typically avoided in formal style (see 46. How to Avoid “I”, “We” and “You”). When it is the subject of a verb that also has an object, as here, a common avoidance strategy is to make the verb passive. This changes the object into the subject, enabling you to be left unsaid.

A further problem here, however, is the length of the object (the rest of the sentence after think). English prefers to put long subjects at the end of a sentence, replacing them with a “dummy” it in the subject position at the start (see 103. Representing a Later Statement with “it”). Thus, using the passive here should produce It might be thought…. The next word should probably be that, since its absence after a speech verb is slightly informal.

An alternative correction is simply to replace you with one (One might think that…: see 211. General Words for People).

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4. it’s because

Change it’s to this is. The contraction –’s is obviously informal, but saying it is because instead of this is because to explain a whole statement in a previous sentence is also not very formal. Generally it should represent the subject of a previous statement rather than all of it (see 28. Pronoun Errors, #1).

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5. they’ve got

GET is nearly always informal. Formal equivalents vary according to which of its many meanings is involved (see the end of 108. Formal & Informal Words). In this case, have by itself is possible – it is neither formal nor informal (see 116. Rarer Uses of HAVE). Possess is a more formal alternative.

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6. things like that

Thing(s) is often but not always informal (see 260. Formal Written Uses of “Thing”). This informal use could be replaced by suchlike.

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7. But (as a matter of fact)

A contrast is being made here between you might think in the sentence before (= appearance) and as a matter of fact (= reality). These ideas are in different sentences. Showing a relation between ideas in different sentences is an informal use of but. Its more common use, stylistically neutral and reflecting its status as a conjunction, is to show a relation between ideas in the same sentence (see 25. Conjunction Positioning).

One way to remove the informality is to change the full stop before but into a comma. Another is to replace but with a connector like however or nevertheless (see 40. Conjunctions versus Connectors).

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8. as a matter of fact

This is a multi-word connector. It is unusual for connectors to be informal – another example is besides (see 20. Problem Connectors, #6). A more formal equivalent is in fact.

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9. big difference

Big, like GET, is nearly always informal. The choice of substitute usually depends on the noun being described (see 108. Formal and Informal Words). Important is not normally a possibility (see 198. Indicating Importance). A suitable choice here is major.

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10. we find it

Like you, we often needs to be avoided in formal style. Making the verb passive is a simple solution here: it is found. Even more formally, one could say it is located.

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11. So there’s

A consequential so at the start of a sentence is like but in #7 above. To be more formal, either change the preceding full stop into a comma, or replace so with the connector therefore.

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12. So there’s

Say there is to avoid the contraction.

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13. a lot of space

A lot is always informal. Without of, it is sometimes an adverb, replaceable by greatly (with verbs) or much (see #15 below), sometimes a pronoun. With a following of, as here, it is usually a pronoun (see 160. Uses of “of”, noun use #5).

The choice of pronoun replacement depends on whether the represented noun is uncountable, like space here, or plural countable. In the first case, we can say a large amount (of), a large quantity (of) or a great deal (of). In the second case (not applicable here), a large number (of) is possible, or simply many (without of) or, very formally, numerous (see 81. Tricky Word Contrasts 2, #9).

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14. give out

Multi-word verbs are usually quite informal (see 108. Formal & Informal Words). A more formal, Latin-derived equivalent here is produce or emit.
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15. a lot (more sound)

Say much instead. This replacement is possible here but not in #13 because a lot is now an adverb: giving information about the comparative word more (see 194. Adverbs that Say How Much, under “Very”). For a full discussion of much with comparative adjectives and adverbs, see 98. “Very”, “Much” and “Very Much”.

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16. Humans got

This use of informal GET can be paraphrased with acquired or even evolved or developed.

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17. I mean

This verb with subject I is acting like a connector. Formal equivalents are that is to say or in other words.

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18. a bit like

Like a lot, a bit is informal and grammatically variable (see 194. Adverbs that Say How Much). One could say instead a little like.

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19. to start with

A slightly more formal two-word verb that could replace this one is to begin with. Both act like a sentence-spanning adverb. Only a few verbs can do this, some in the -ing form, some with to (see 183. Statements between Commas). The adverb equivalence means that adverb expressions are also a replacement possibility. One could say at the beginning or, very formally, initially.

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20. Maybe

This informal adverb equates to perhaps or possibly. It should not be confused with the verb may be (see 26. One Word or Two?).

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21. dropped down

Another two-word verb, this can be replaced by the more formal descended.

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22. the biggest cause

With cause, biggest is best replaced by greatest or main.

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23. going round

The verb GO makes numerous two-word verbs, most quite informal (see 176. Ways of Using GO, #6). This one can be replaced by moving or walking.

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24. That pushed

It would be possible here to say this instead of that. Both refer back to using two (legs) in the previous sentence, but that also highlights its great distance in time from the present day (see 234. Adjective and Pronoun Uses of “that”). Its slightly informal feel might be because it prevents exclusive focus on the fact being described.

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25. In my opinion

For detailed advice on avoiding I/me/my in opinion-giving, see 107. The Language of Opinions. Here, one might replace the above phrase with arguably or drop it and make the verb seems to be.

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26. pretty high

Pretty is a very informal “degree” adverb indicating moderate strength of a following adjective or adverb. It has numerous equivalents of a more formal nature including fairly, moderately, quite and rather (see 194. Adverbs that Say How Much). The last seems best here because high is expressing something undesirable, a typical situation calling for rather.

Degree adverbs are also illustrated by a lot/much in #14 above and a bit/a little in #17. Note that pretty/fairly go only before base adjectives and adverbs, not comparative ones; a lot/much go only before comparative ones; while a bit/a little can accompany both base and comparative forms.

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27. You won’t hear

To avoid this personal pronoun + contraction, say either one will not hear or there is no likelihood of hearing (see 161. Special Uses of “There” Sentences, #4).

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28. don’t easily get

Change the contraction to do not, and replace get with suffer from.

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THE CORRECTED PARAGRAPH

If the above paragraph is corrected in the ways suggested above, it reads as follows. Alternative corrections are often possible.

One may wonder why monkeys cannot speak. It might be thought that this is because they possess no larynx (voice box), wrong-shaped teeth, a different tongue, and suchlike. In fact, however, monkeys have a larynx too. The major difference between a human larynx and a monkey one is the position: it is located lower in humans than in monkeys. Therefore, there is a large amount of space above a human larynx. The result is that human voices can produce much more sound. Humans probably acquired their lower larynx through evolution. In other words, they were a little like monkeys initially, but slowly their larynx descended. Perhaps the greatest cause was the change from moving on four legs to using just two. This pushed the head more forward and the larynx lower. Arguably, the price of this is rather high. There is no likelihood of hearing monkeys speaking, but they do not easily suffer from food stuck in their windpipe!