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Read the following extract.
Which phrase would correctly substitute ‘for the life of him’, in the given sentence from the extract.
But for the life of him he could not move.
Answer written by student:
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One possible phrase that would correctly substitute ‘for the life of him’ in the given sentence from the extract is ‘no matter how hard he tried’.
Step-by-Step explanation of the answer:
- The phrase ‘for the life of him’ is an idiomatic expression that means ‘despite making a great effort; not at all’. It is used to emphasize the inability or difficulty of doing something.
- One possible phrase that has the same or similar meaning and can fit in the same context is ‘no matter how hard he tried’.
- The phrase ‘no matter how hard he tried’ means ‘regardless of how much effort he put in; not at all’. It is also used to emphasize the inability or difficulty of doing something.
- For example, ‘He couldn’t solve the puzzle no matter how hard he tried.’ means ‘He put in a lot of effort but he couldn’t solve the puzzle at all.’
- Therefore, we can substitute the phrase ‘for the life of him’ with the phrase ‘no matter how hard he tried’ in the sentence ‘But for the life of him he could not move.’ and get a sentence with the same meaning and structure.
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