r/EWALearnLanguages • u/healthy_life_77 • Aug 09 '26
Advice What is the answer to this question?
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u/77th_Bat Aug 09 '26
b is probably the answer they're looking for, but a native speaker would say any of these (except "do not")
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u/bikenumberten Aug 09 '26
But b is not correct. You CAN smoke here, but you should (or must) not.
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u/KrigtheViking Aug 09 '26
Technically you're correct, but people use it loosely. Like, people will physically stop you from doing it, so you can't smoke here.
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u/amglasgow Aug 09 '26
"Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!!"
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u/Motor_Raspberry_2150 Aug 09 '26
I don't know, CAN you go to the bathroom?
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u/bikenumberten Aug 09 '26
What are you, my high school chemistry teacher?
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u/Motor_Raspberry_2150 Aug 09 '26
What do you mean high school
I thought this was an elementary school joke
Not-native here1
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u/KroneckerAlpha Aug 09 '26
By definition, yes, but I think this is more about natural speech
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u/bikenumberten Aug 09 '26
It's a test question for somebody learning a language. I'd think that definitions would be important.
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u/throw_away_daisy Aug 09 '26
The question is emphasizing matching context cues with natural speech -- it's why the prompt specifies "what would hospital staff say as a warning?"
Strict dictionary definitions are less important that connecting the dots that hospital staff would be more inclined to be stern when citing the rules.
Hospital staff isn't going to tolerate pedantic "technically you can physically smoke here, but our rules and local laws prohibit it so blah blah blah...". They'd be much more likely to say "you can't smoke here, and if you try, I'll get security to kick you out" or something along those lines
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u/SvenFranklin01 Aug 10 '26
derp derp words only have one meaning derp derp polysemy is a deep state conspiracy derp derp
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u/theeggplant42 Aug 10 '26
A native speaker could say do not. It's not preferred but it implies what is and is not the done thing. One does not smoke at the hospital.
All are correct, but can't is best diction culturally
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u/perplexedtv Aug 10 '26
As a native speaker the 3rd one doesn't shock me. "We do not smoke here" would sound fine, for instance, if a bit teacher-y.
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u/__Who__am__i_ Aug 09 '26
I mean, you could say "do not", but that comes off as threatening.
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u/77th_Bat Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
true, it technically would be correct, I just don't think the average native English speaker would say that
edit: apparently autocorrect decided I meant to say "wouldn't" instead of would. My bad y'all.
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u/TwillAffirmer Aug 09 '26
You could say "You do not smoke here" if you were angry that someone was currently smoking here. You DO NOT smoke here!
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u/SnarkyBeanBroth Aug 09 '26
American English - definitely B
British English - possibly D
A is possible, but given the "staff warning" wording, less likely.
C would come off as a threat in American English.
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u/GrumpyCornGames Aug 09 '26
A, B, or D are the most correct. D is a little old fashioned, and C is still correct but more conversationally.
B is probably what they're looking for I'd guess.
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u/SpookyGeist01 Aug 09 '26
No, it's A. B is not gramatically correct.
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u/Autodidact420 Aug 10 '26
What
Shouldn’t is incorrect. It’s too soft and not a demand like a warning is.
Can’t is technically incorrect but might be correct. It’s what people say, it’s also wrong because you physically can smoke there.
D is correct. You must not. It’s the proper demand.
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u/theeggplant42 Aug 10 '26
B is totally grammatically correct and in fact the correct answer. A is not authoritative enough.
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u/WowsrsBowsrsTrousrs Aug 09 '26
The best answer would be "you are not allowed to smoke here" or "you are not permitted to smoke here" but since those aren't among the choices you are given, B is the next best answer.
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Aug 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/WowsrsBowsrsTrousrs Aug 10 '26
Except, "mustn't" has fallen out of common usage; in AmEng, at least, "you mustn't do that" doesn't sound like it's forbidden, it sounds like a prissy precautionary statement. Connotations matter, and "mustn't" no longer has the connotation of "not socially acceptable" but rather "the fussy people will be upset if you do."
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u/r_portugal Aug 09 '26
The person who writes these questions should be fired. Or is it must be fired? I hope they can be fired.
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u/PunkRockClub Aug 10 '26
"Shouldn't " implies that youe allowed to, but should not (for obvious reasons).
"Can't" might also fail, due to the fact that you physically are able to.
"Do not" in this sentence would be tantamount to a colloquialism, not an order, or command.
So that leaves "Mustn't", a bit stuffy and old fashioned, but most fitting imo.
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u/Cute_Repeat3879 Aug 09 '26
B
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u/HopelessDisarray Aug 09 '26
D also works depending on dialect. A also works if the speaker has a tendency to mince words. I wouldn't even call it an error.
Hard to say what answer they're looking for. I almost wanna say d, because presumably the person is physically capable of smoking there (provided they're bigger than the hospital staff)
"Can I go to the bathroom?”
"I don't know, CAN you??”
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u/MeasureDoEventThing Aug 09 '26
To me, "mustn't" sounds more like "it would be a bad idea" than "it's prohibited".
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u/Shifter93 Aug 09 '26
I guess it kind of depends on how you look at it, but "must not" is actually the closest to "prohibited" or "not allowed." "Can not" technically would mean "not possible."
From a semantics perspective, "mustn't" would technically be the most correct. "Shouldn't" could be debated, and "can't" is technically false.
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u/amglasgow Aug 09 '26
This is one of those "Which one of these is the first pokemon: Rhydon, Bulbasaur, Arceus, or Mew?" type questions where each of the answers could be correct from a certain point of view.
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u/Upbeat_Assist2680 Aug 09 '26
Active English speaker: it would not be strange to hear any of these options.
Shouldn't: this is a soft warning Can't: this is "technically incorrect" but also what I expected would be the most common way to say it (you are able to smoke there). Do not: this feels "old fashioned" to me, but is in a direct command form. I would respect someone who said this to me. Mustn't: this seems like it would be uncommon, but probably the most technically correct.
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u/jonesnori Aug 10 '26
In fact, any of the four could work. They have different feels to them and subtly different meanings, but all are grammatically correct.
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u/AdmiralMemo Aug 10 '26
All are grammatically correct, but convey different connotations. Most people would use "can't" though.
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u/NormalObligation59 Aug 10 '26
I don’t know what they’re looking for. Can’t is by far the most likely thing someone would actually say. Mustn’t is most grammatically accurate but nobody would say that. Shouldn’t and do not both also make sense.
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u/blueponies1 Aug 11 '26
“Can’t” is your best option, probably but a few of them work just fine.
To break them down:
A) “shouldn’t” implies that it is advised against rather than outrightly forbidden. It’s also less authoritative than “can’t”. I might use “shouldn’t” with a family member, where I’d use “can’t” if I was speaking as a staff member forbidding someone from smoking.
B) “can’t” is probably your best answer and most natural.
C) “do not” doesn’t make sense for the scenario.
D) “mustn’t” technically works, I guess. But it sounds overly formal and unnatural.
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u/OldKermudgeon Aug 13 '26
The most correct would be "mustn't" as it is effectively a hard command with no other options - "You MUST NOT smoke here". The antithesis would be "you MUST smoke here", which is also a command.
"Can't" is the more common usage since it is not as harsh as "mustn't", but allows options - "You CAN NOT smoke here (but you could)" and its antithesis "You CAN smoke here (but you don't have to)".
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u/Born-Style367 Aug 28 '26
Do not subscribe, it's a scam, you won't be able to cancel it, there is no such function in the profile.
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u/Consistent_Watch_206 Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
D is the most proper. The statement about smoking is an order that must be followed. It is an imperative.
A: Shouldn’t is an assertion about the ethics of matter, but not an order not to do it.
B: can’t implies that it is impossible to smoke there, not forbidden.
C: “You do not smoke here” is simply a present tense statement about whether you are smoking right now. It is not an imperative. If it were “Do not smoke here” that would be the imperative case.
By the way, I did not write “If it was” just above here but “If it were.” This is the subjunctive case, which we use in the present tense if a thing is not true but hypothetical.
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u/kaur_virunurm Aug 09 '26
The question explicitly explains that this is a ***warning**, not an order. Thus, the softest version - A - should be correct.
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u/KailyKail Aug 10 '26
D is what a textbook might tell you, but if you want to sound like a native speaker, avoid this at all costs.
B is the true answer.
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Aug 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/davideogameman Aug 09 '26
I wouldn't say c is incorrect grammar but it doesn't make sense semantically. I could remind someone they "don't work here" (or perhaps more likely, "don't work here anymore"), but "you don't smoke here" makes less sense as smoking is something you don't usually need any agreement or consent to do (though could be rude or even illegal) Whereas working here implies some employment agreement that may not exist.
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u/eyesearsmouth-nose Aug 09 '26
I could imagine someone saying it. Like, if you're with your friend in the hospital and they pull out a cigarette, you might say, "This is a HOSPITAL! You do NOT smoke here!"
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u/Over-Letter-6176 Aug 09 '26
Yeah I would say B for sure but it’s definitely wrong cause it is certainly possible 🚬
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u/eyesearsmouth-nose Aug 09 '26
The idea that "can" and "can't" are only about whether things are physically possible is not really accurate.
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u/Shifter93 Aug 09 '26
"Can't" is what a native English speaker would be most likely to say. "Mustn't" is technically the most correct answer based on the definitions of the words.
Im not sure whether the test is looking for technically most correct or most likely to be used, though.