qotd

Test Preparation
1

<p>Most ships A) MOVE through the Suez Canal B) WITH C) THEIR OWN power, but large ships D) MUST BE assisted by a tugboat. E) NO ERROR</p>

<p>I was debating between either B because of idiom usage, D because of passive voice, or E because the other two did not make sense. I guessed right and the answer is B, but I do not really understand why. The explanation says that the idiom should be “under their own power” instead of “with their own power” but I don’t understand how “move under their own power” makes any sense.</p>

<p>Thanks for the help</p>

2

<p>The accepted phrase would be “under their own power” or “on their own power.” Using "under’ is something that is commonly used in phrases like that to designate that the object is doing it itself. In other words, it makes perfect sense to most who are born and raised in the US. It is similar to “take a walk” which refers to actually walking rather than the usual meaning for “take.” “With” is not used in that kind of phrase.</p>