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Mr. Tom Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Not knowing what to do or say...

Hi

Are these lines OK? Please edit them where necessary.

Not knowing what to do or say, Frank slammed the door shut, and at that very moment, a horrible shriek issued from Tania's mouth that curdled my blood. I then realized that her hand had been trapped in the door.

Thanks,

Tom
  

Top answer

You have a narrator conflict. You start out with the omniscient narrator. He knows what everybody is saying, doing, and thinking.

  • You have a narrator conflict.
  • You start out with the omniscient narrator.
  • He knows what everybody is saying, doing, and thinking.
  • For instance he knows what Frank knows (or rather doesn't know), and he knows where the shriek came from before you and Frank do.
  • " This will confuse your reader, at least this reader.
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5 Answers
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You have a narrator conflict. You start out with the omniscient narrator. He knows what everybody is saying, doing, and thinking. For instance he knows what Frank knows (or rather doesn't know), and he knows where the shriek came from before you and Frank do. But then you shift to the first-person narrator -- the "I" of "I then realized."

This will confuse your reader, at least this r
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deadratI'm not even sure whether the door slammer and the realizer are supposed to be the same person.
If they are not, then there is no conflict. There are three people, Frank (the slammer), Tania (the shrieker) and 'I' (the narrator/realizer).
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Yes, it can be interpreted oddly without the greater context, which I presume makes it clear that the narrator is not Frank.
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Thanks, deadrat, fivejedjon and MM.

Please have a look now. Anything worth tampering with?

Not knowing what to do or say, Frank slammed the door shut, and at that very moment, a horrible shriek issued from Tania's mouth that curdled my blood. I then realized that her hand had been trapped in the door. I called out to Frank but he was gone.

Tom

PS:
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I might do a little rearrangement, that is all:

Not knowing what to do or say, Frank slammed the door shut, and at that very moment, a horrible, blood-curdling shriek issued from Tania's mouth, and I realized that her hand had been caught in the door. I called out to Frank but he was gone.

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