0
Valinova Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Pronoun and antecedent
Is there a better way of writing "The puppies fought over the toys until they were basically demolished" OTHER than "The puppies fought over the toys until the toys were basically demolished"?
Saying "toys" twice seems overly repetitive to me.
Saying "toys" twice seems overly repetitive to me.
Top answer
For the most part we think of things being demolished, not animate beings like puppies, so I don't think the reference is particularly ambiguous. Nevertheless, you could replace 'demolished' with another word or phrase which much more certainly applies only to things. until they were completely shredded.
- For the most part we think of things being demolished, not animate beings like puppies, so I don't think the reference is particularly ambiguous.
- Nevertheless, you could replace 'demolished' with another word or phrase which much more certainly applies only to things.
- until they were completely shredded.
- until they had been bitten to pieces.
- until they were basically torn to bits.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
1 Answers
0
For the most part we think of things being demolished, not animate beings like puppies, so I don't think the reference is particularly ambiguous. Nevertheless, you could replace 'demolished' with another word or phrase which much more certainly applies only to things.
... until they were completely shredded.
... until they had been bitten to pieces.
... until they were basically
... until they were completely shredded.
... until they had been bitten to pieces.
... until they were basically
0
Related Questions