5 exercises — practise the fixed concessive phrase "come what may".
0 / 20 completed
1 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses the fixed phrase "come what may" without altering its internal word order?
"The team committed to the release date, come what may" correctly preserves the fixed, archaic subjunctive word order "come what may". Options B, C, and D all rearrange or substitute words within the fixed phrase, which is not permitted since it is a frozen idiom.
2 / 20
Which sentence correctly places "come what may" at the start of a sentence, followed by a comma before the main clause?
"Come what may, the on-call rotation will keep the service running" correctly opens with the fixed phrase, followed by a comma and standard subject-verb order in the main clause. Option B omits the required comma. Option C wrongly inverts the main clause. Option D scrambles the fixed phrase.
3 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses "come what may" to concede that outcomes are uncertain, before stating an unconditional commitment?
"Come what may with the acquisition, the engineering team will keep shipping features on schedule" correctly keeps "come what may" intact, with the added prepositional phrase "with the acquisition" placed after it. Options B, C, and D all insert the extra phrase in the middle of the fixed idiom, breaking it.
4 / 20
Which sentence correctly distinguishes "come what may" (unconditional commitment) from "whatever happens" without redundantly combining both?
"Come what may, the backup job runs every night at midnight" uses the fixed phrase cleanly on its own. Option B redundantly stacks a near-synonymous phrase alongside it. Options C and D both incorrectly blend words from the two separate expressions into one broken phrase.
5 / 20
Which sentence correctly uses "come what may" as a closing adverbial after a full independent clause describing a policy?
"The security team will disclose critical vulnerabilities within ninety days, come what may" correctly closes the sentence with the unaltered fixed phrase. Option B reorders the words. Option C wrongly inflects "may" as if it were a regular verb. Option D wrongly changes "come" to the gerund "coming".
6 / 20
Alex: 'We'll deploy this feature regardless of the testing results. Come what may, it needs to be out there.' What is the primary function of the phrase 'come what may' in this context?
Come what may signifies a concession – acknowledging that unfavorable outcomes are possible. It doesn't mean accepting them, but demonstrates an unwavering dedication to action regardless of the result. The core meaning here is about maintaining commitment despite uncertainty, aligning with a developer's proactive approach.
7 / 20
Reviewer Comment: 'I'm not thrilled with this implementation, but come what may, it appears to function as expected based on the current data. Let's monitor closely.' Which revision best improves this comment regarding the use of 'come what may'?
The original comment contains redundancy. 'Come what may' directly addresses the uncertainty without repeating the idea of a commitment. Option 1 maintains the nuance of acknowledging potential issues while still emphasizing the current functionality, mirroring the intent of the original phrasing.
8 / 20
Sarah (in a Slack channel discussing a critical bug): 'Okay team, we're prioritizing fixing this. Come what may, we need to get the service back online ASAP.' What does Sarah *primarily* intend to convey using this phrase?
'Come what may' here signals an unwavering commitment to action – prioritizing resolution despite potential difficulties. Sarah isn't stating the fix is unimportant; she's emphasizing a dedication to getting the service back online quickly, highlighting the proactive nature of the response.
9 / 20
PR Description: 'This commit adds necessary logging for debugging. Come what may, these logs will be invaluable in tracking down future issues.' What is the intended effect of including 'come what may' within this PR description?
'Come what may' here underscores a commitment to future debugging efforts. It acknowledges that unforeseen issues might arise but emphasizes the value of the current logging in addressing them – a key aspect of robust development practices. The phrase reinforces the long-term benefit despite potential challenges.
10 / 20
Ben (during a standup): 'I'm working on refactoring the database schema. Come what may, I'm aiming to improve performance and scalability.' What does Ben mean by using 'come what may' in this context?
'Come what may' indicates Ben's unwavering commitment to achieving his goals – improved performance and scalability – even if challenges arise. It acknowledges potential obstacles but emphasizes a dedication to meeting those objectives without wavering. This reflects a proactive and determined approach to development.
11 / 20
Alex: 'We'll deploy this feature regardless of the testing results. Come what may, it needs to be out there.' What is the primary function of the phrase 'come what may' in this context?
Come what may signifies a concession – acknowledging that unfavorable outcomes are possible. It doesn't mean accepting them, but demonstrates an unwavering dedication to action regardless of the result. The core meaning here is about maintaining commitment despite uncertainty, aligning with a developer's proactive approach.
12 / 20
Reviewer Comment: 'I'm not thrilled with this implementation, but come what may, it appears to function as expected based on the current data. Let's monitor closely.' Which revision best improves this comment regarding the use of 'come what may'?
The original comment contains redundancy. 'Come what may' directly addresses the uncertainty without repeating the idea of a commitment. Option 1 maintains the nuance of acknowledging potential issues while still emphasizing the current functionality, mirroring the intent of the original phrasing.
13 / 20
Sarah (in a Slack channel discussing a critical bug): 'Okay team, we're prioritizing fixing this. Come what may, we need to get the service back online ASAP.' What does Sarah *primarily* intend to convey using this phrase?
'Come what may' here signals an unwavering commitment to action – prioritizing resolution despite potential difficulties. Sarah isn't stating the fix is unimportant; she's emphasizing a dedication to getting the service back online quickly, highlighting the proactive nature of the response.
14 / 20
PR Description: 'This commit adds necessary logging for debugging. Come what may, these logs will be invaluable in tracking down future issues.' What is the intended effect of including 'come what may' within this PR description?
'Come what may' here underscores a commitment to future debugging efforts. It acknowledges that unforeseen issues might arise but emphasizes the value of the current logging in addressing them – a key aspect of robust development practices. The phrase reinforces the long-term benefit despite potential challenges.
15 / 20
Ben (during a standup): 'I'm working on refactoring the database schema. Come what may, I'm aiming to improve performance and scalability.' What does Ben mean by using 'come what may' in this context?
'Come what may' indicates Ben's unwavering commitment to achieving his goals – improved performance and scalability – even if challenges arise. It acknowledges potential obstacles but emphasizes a dedication to meeting those objectives without wavering. This reflects a proactive and determined approach to development.
16 / 20
Alex: 'We'll deploy this feature regardless of the testing results. Come what may, it needs to be out there.' What is the primary function of the phrase 'come what may' in this context?
Come what may signifies a concession – acknowledging that unfavorable outcomes are possible. It doesn't mean accepting them, but demonstrates an unwavering dedication to action regardless of the result. The core meaning here is about maintaining commitment despite uncertainty, aligning with a developer's proactive approach.
17 / 20
Reviewer Comment: 'I'm not thrilled with this implementation, but come what may, it appears to function as expected based on the current data. Let's monitor closely.' Which revision best improves this comment regarding the use of 'come what may'?
The original comment contains redundancy. 'Come what may' directly addresses the uncertainty without repeating the idea of a commitment. Option 1 maintains the nuance of acknowledging potential issues while still emphasizing the current functionality, mirroring the intent of the original phrasing.
18 / 20
Sarah (in a Slack channel discussing a critical bug): 'Okay team, we're prioritizing fixing this. Come what may, we need to get the service back online ASAP.' What does Sarah *primarily* intend to convey using this phrase?
'Come what may' here signals an unwavering commitment to action – prioritizing resolution despite potential difficulties. Sarah isn't stating the fix is unimportant; she's emphasizing a dedication to getting the service back online quickly, highlighting the proactive nature of the response.
19 / 20
PR Description: 'This commit adds necessary logging for debugging. Come what may, these logs will be invaluable in tracking down future issues.' What is the intended effect of including 'come what may' within this PR description?
'Come what may' here underscores a commitment to future debugging efforts. It acknowledges that unforeseen issues might arise but emphasizes the value of the current logging in addressing them – a key aspect of robust development practices. The phrase reinforces the long-term benefit despite potential challenges.
20 / 20
Ben (during a standup): 'I'm working on refactoring the database schema. Come what may, I'm aiming to improve performance and scalability.' What does Ben mean by using 'come what may' in this context?
'Come what may' indicates Ben's unwavering commitment to achieving his goals – improved performance and scalability – even if challenges arise. It acknowledges potential obstacles but emphasizes a dedication to meeting those objectives without wavering. This reflects a proactive and determined approach to development.
What will I practise in ""Come What May" as a Fixed Concessive Phrase — IT Grammar Exercise"?
Practise using the frozen, archaic-subjunctive phrase "come what may" to express an unconditional commitment regardless of circumstances, in project
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This module has 20 multiple-choice exercises, each with instant feedback and a full explanation of the correct answer.
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