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Question
Notice the element of repetition in the following sentence and decide
whether it is acceptable or not. Give reason in support of your opinion.
- "I want to scale Mt. Everest, I want to do scuba diving and I want to fly an aeroplane. Actually, I want to do a lot of things before I die."
Options
Acceptable
Not acceptable
Solution
Not Acceptable
The repetition ofT reveals the author’s self-confidence. However, the sentence could be rewritten avoiding unnecessary repetition of‘want to …’and ‘and’.
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Read the passage below. Underline the words that have been used to avoid repetition. Mark the words that have not been replaced or deleted with '?'.
It was yet another escapade of Gopi and Gargi into the forest. The two were playing in the courtyard of the ruined castle when they heard strange sounds, as if someone was ringing tiny bells in a temple. But there was none in the vicinity. They knew it. Then who was making those sounds? Nothing of that sort had happened during any of their earlier visits. Was the castle haunted? Were there any ghosts in it? Suddenly, this thought had a vice like grip on their minds. Naturally enough, both were terrified but neither wanted to admit it. Presently the sounds became louder and louder and the duo would have fled had Gargi's sharp eyes not caught a glimpse of a herd of goats grazing behind the thickets nearby. 'So, those are the ghosts!' said Gargi and both burst into laughter. They rushed to the spot to have a closer look and found that there were thirteen goats in all and each had a tiny brass bell dangling from its neck. Four goats were black and the rest were brown.
What do you think of repetition in the following passage? Do you think all of it is bad? Can you improve the passage by removing instances of unnecessary repetition?
| Choresl Chores! Chores! Chores! Chores are boring! Scrubbing toilets, cleaning sinks, and washing bathtubs take up a lot of my time and are not fun at all. Toilets! When you1re scrubbing toilets, make sure they are not stinky. I've scrubbed one before and I was lucky it didn't stink. I think toilets are one of the hardest things to scrub in the bathroom because it is hard to get up around the rim. Sinks are one of the easiest things to clean in the bathroom because they have no rims and they are small. I have cleaned one before and it was pretty easy. Bathtubs, ever washed one? They are big, they are deep, and it is hard to get up around the sides. The bathtub is the hardest, I think, to wash in the bathroom. All chores are boring, especially making my bed. Cleaning my room is OK because I have to organize, and I like organizing. Dusting is the worst: dust, set down, pick up, dust, set down. There are so many things to dust, and it's no fun. Chores aren't the worst but they're definitely not the best! Source: Teaching that Makes Sense (http://www.ttms.org/writing_quality /writing_ quality .htm) |
We often use pronouns to make links between sentences and to avoid
repetition.
Read the following extract from the story 'The Two Gentlemen of Verona'.
| "Of course, everything is so difficult now, food so scarce and dear, we could not keep going unless we charged a fee. But every week, Lucia's brothers have made their payment." She added simply, "I do not know what they do, I do not ask. Work is scarce in Verona. But whatever it is, I know they do it well." |
Work with your partner and answer these questions.
1. In the first line 'everything' refers to?
___________________________
2. The phrase 'their payment' (line 3) refers to?
___________________________
3. 'They' in the third line refers to?
___________________________
4. The speaker says, 'I do not ask'. What does the speaker not ask? Whom?
___________________________
5. 'Whatever it is.' (line 4)Here 'it' refers to?
___________________________
6. Who do the pronouns 'I' and 'She' refer to?
___________________________
Substitution in formal writing
Look at this piece of formal writing
The Deputy Commissioner and the Commissioner of Police were the Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour respectively. The former delivered the key note address and the latter gave away the prizes to the winners.
- Complete the following table using information from the text above.
The Deputy Commissioner= the Chief Guest
The Commissioner of Police = ___________
The former = _____________
The latter = ____________
- Study the use of the words underlined in the text.
a. Why are they used?
______________________
b. Why do you think they are not commonly used in spoken English?
______________________
- Rewrite the following texts. Use the former, the latter, and respectively to avoid repetition.
1. Anand likes History and Joel likes Mathematics. It is interesting to note that Anand is the son of a Mathematics teacher while Joel's father is a teacher of History.
_________________________
___________________________
2. Seema, the monitor of class IX and Ramesh, the monitor of class X were asked to meet the Principal before they went home.
____________________
