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Hasibul Alam Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

what is the general meaning of this sentence

perkin`s wit, surprisingly untrammeled by the prudishness of his time, may not have been nearly as racy had he lived in an era not so prone to blushing
  

Top answer

This is a little complex, but let's simplify it: 1 - Note the double negative in the sentence: "may not have been" and "not so prone". 2 - Put aside the reduced relative clause "surprisingly untrammeled by the prudishness of his time", to make the meaning easier. 3 - "had he lived" means "if he had lived" Now we can re-write it as: "Perkin's wit , may not have been as racy if he had he lived in an era not so prone to blushing".

— Teechr

  • This is a little complex, but let's simplify it: 1 - Note the double negative in the sentence: "may not have been" and "not so prone".
  • 2 - Put aside the reduced relative clause "surprisingly untrammeled by the prudishness of his time", to make the meaning easier.
  • 3 - "had he lived" means "if he had lived" Now we can re-write it as: "Perkin's wit , may not have been as racy if he had he lived in an era not so prone to blushing".
  • Wit = sense of humour.
  • Racy = lively prone = vulnerable Now you can of course add in the extra information of the relative clause which describes his wit as "surprisingly untrammeled by the prudishness of his time"
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1 Answers
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This is a little complex, but let's simplify it:
1 - Note the double negative in the sentence: "may not have been" and "not so prone".
2 - Put aside the reduced relative clause "surprisingly untrammeled by the prudishness of his time", to make the meaning easier.
3 - "had he lived" means "if he had lived"

Now we can re-write it as:
"Perkin's wit, may not have been a
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