lack vs. are lacking in

[liuyff]

Solution B.4 in Chapter 11 of SC (Guide 8) mentions Suspect vs. are suspecious of is, like lack vs. are lacking in, one of the rare exceptions to V-A-N patterns 3: prefer a Verb to an Adjective. But in Chapter 9, both below sentences are marked RIGHT without any hint of difference.

Old gadgets ARE LACKING IN features.
Old gadgets LACK features.

What's the nuances in meaning of "lack vs. are lacking in" and "Suspect vs. are suspecious of"?

[RonPurewal]

Solution B.4 in Chapter 11 of SC (Guide 8) mentions Suspect vs. are suspecious of is, like lack vs. are lacking in, one of the rare exceptions to V-A-N patterns 3: prefer a Verb to an Adjective. But in Chapter 9, both below sentences are marked RIGHT without any hint of difference.

Old gadgets ARE LACKING IN features.
Old gadgets LACK features.

What's the nuances in meaning of "lack vs. are lacking in" and "Suspect vs. are suspecious of"?

well, you won't have to worry about "nuances" on this exam. if this exam tests differences in meaning, they won't be "nuances"; they'll be relatively big differences.

in the case of the two pairs above, it's not a matter of "preference"; in each case, you're talking about two constructions that actually have completely different meanings.

if i write "x lacks y", that means x actually doesn't have y.
this jacket lacks pockets --> this jacket has zero pockets. it doesn't have any pockets.
on the other hand, if i write "x is lacking in y", then x has a relative paucity of y (i.e., it has less than the usual or expected amount of y), but not necessarily a complete lack of y.
this jacket is lacking in pockets --> this jacket has fewer pockets than most other jackets of a similar style.

the school's math curriculum lacks algebra --> they don't teach algebra at all.
the school's math curriculum is lacking in algebra --> they don't teach as much algebra as they should teach.

[RonPurewal]

"suspect" is used most commonly in 2 ways:
1/
before some idea that you think might be true:
i suspect that she's lying about the cost.
i should have suspected how annoying this would be.

2/
(suspect PERSON + of + xxxxx):
the bruises on the baby's body caused the doctor to suspect the parents of abuse, but they were in fact caused by hemophilia.

"be suspicious of", on the other hand, means, essentially, that you don't think something is genuine. basically, it means you suspect that the thing in question is something other than what it looks like.
e.g.
i was suspicious of the authenticity of that purse. (= i think it might be fake)
i was suspicious of jane's motives when she asked me out for coffee. (= i think she might have a hidden agenda, beyond just going for coffee)