0
Mr. Tom Posted 8 years ago
Vocabulary

Her arms and legs thrashed about

Hi

Are the underlined parts natural English? Any other better choice of words please?

While Jackson suffocated/asphyxiated/smothered her with all his might, her legs and arms thrashed about wildly and the silver photo frame on the bedside table...

Thanks,

Tom

  

Top answer

Yes, that second part sounds alright to me. I'm not 100% on the first as I wonder whether you can really suffocate / asphyxiate someone with 'all your might' but it doesn't strike me as wrong, just not quite right. One can pull or push or strike with all one's might, but I just don't reckon the verbs you've used quite sit right with using all your strength.

— David Hatton

  • Yes, that second part sounds alright to me.
  • I'm not 100% on the first as I wonder whether you can really suffocate / asphyxiate someone with 'all your might' but it doesn't strike me as wrong, just not quite right.
  • One can pull or push or strike with all one's might, but I just don't reckon the verbs you've used quite sit right with using all your strength.
  • Grammatically it's fine, just the sense that I'm querying.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

4 Answers
0

Yes, that second part sounds alright to me. I'm not 100% on the first as I wonder whether you can really suffocate / asphyxiate someone with 'all your might' but it doesn't strike me as wrong, just not quite right.

One can pull or push or strike with all one's might, but I just don't reckon the verbs you've used quite sit right with using all your strength. Grammatically it's fine, j

0
0

Thanks, David.

When we smother/suffocate a person with a serious intention to kill them (not that I know from experience) we need a lot of force and strength (apart from extreme cruelty). So in that sense I used

-- smothered her with all his might

Do you think this is better?

--smothered her with a lot of force or --smothered

0
0

Possibly,

While Jackson choked/strangled her with all his might, ...
Or
While Jackson tried to suffocate her with all his might, ...

suffocated/asphyxiated/smothered are all general descriptions of the result. They say nothing about the method or means. Choked with his hands? Strangled with a rope? Forced a pillow over her nose and mouth?

May

0
0

Thanks, CJ and Dave.

One more quesition please.

Are these synonymous?

-- her arms and legs thrashed about wildly...

-- her arms and legs flailed wildly...

Tom

0

Related Questions