Sentence check

Question

My first impression of Quebec was that the whole province felt elegant and beautiful with the well-preserved European heritage visible in many street corners.

Hi,

Would anyone help me check the sentence I wrote?

Does it sound OK or need some revision?

Thanks

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

My first impression of Quebec was that the whole province felt elegant and beautiful with well-preserved European period architecture visible on many street corners.

Spooner · Answer

Thanks for the revision.

Does well-preserved European heritage sound awkward?

Also, if the reader already knows about Quebec, isn't it OK to put "the" in front of "well-preserved"?

Can you give me some explanation on your revision?

Mister Micawber · Answer

Does well-preserved European heritage sound awkward?-- It sounds vague: it could be the cuisine.

Spooner · Answer

Thanks.

I have one more question:

If a reader already knows what Quebec is like, isn't it OK to put "the" in front of "well-preserved"?

The reason I put it there in the first place to call it out from other European heritage, to stress that it's not just any European heritage but the one in Quebec.

Mister Micawber · Answer

It has nothing to do with whether the reader is familiar with Quebec. However, the subject of your sentence includes 'Quebec': that is surely enough to indicate where the architecture is.

You may, however, reinsert 'heritage':

My first impression of Quebec was that the whole province felt elegant and beautiful with well-preserved European-heritage architecture visible on many street corners.

(Why it should be seen only at street corners is beyond me.)

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