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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
English/Grammar Question
I am beginning a paragraph with the following: "Erich Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front and John-Paul Sartre’s Nausea are set in early twentieth-century Europe. The protagonists of both stories endure crises that permanently transform their frames of mind. Altered perceptions alienate them from the majority of society."
I’m not certain that the second sentence is grammatically correct. Let me break down the sentence how I want it to sound:
"The protagonists [1 protagonist from each book] of both stories endure crises [both protagonists experiencing multiple crises] that permanently transform their frames of mind."
Did I write this correctly????
I suppose I could write it a different way, like: "The protagonist of each story endures crises that permanently transform their frame of mind."
That sounds a bit awkward to me, though. Feel free to let me know if you disagree.
I’m not certain that the second sentence is grammatically correct. Let me break down the sentence how I want it to sound:
"The protagonists [1 protagonist from each book] of both stories endure crises [both protagonists experiencing multiple crises] that permanently transform their frames of mind."
Did I write this correctly????
I suppose I could write it a different way, like: "The protagonist of each story endures crises that permanently transform their frame of mind."
That sounds a bit awkward to me, though. Feel free to let me know if you disagree.
Top answer
Well, using 'each' would make it clear that there were multiple crises for each one—which is ambiguous but probably unnoticeable by the average reader of your original sentence. If you do elect for 'each', however, your sentence would need further work: The protagonist of each story endures crises that permanently transform his frame of mind. (I hope both protagonists are male; I've never read Nausea.
- Well, using 'each' would make it clear that there were multiple crises for each one—which is ambiguous but probably unnoticeable by the average reader of your original sentence.
- If you do elect for 'each', however, your sentence would need further work: The protagonist of each story endures crises that permanently transform his frame of mind.
- (I hope both protagonists are male; I've never read Nausea.
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1 Answers
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Well, using 'each' would make it clear that there were multiple crises for each one—which is ambiguous but probably unnoticeable by the average reader of your original sentence.
If you do elect for 'each', however, your sentence would need further work:
The protagonist of each story endures crises that permanently transform his frame of mind. (I hope both protagonis
If you do elect for 'each', however, your sentence would need further work:
The protagonist of each story endures crises that permanently transform his frame of mind. (I hope both protagonis
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