Correcting Confusing Sentences

1. Confusing Sentences
Correcting Confusing Sentences

2. Sentence 1
Original Sentence: "Won't you come in?" He heard her draw in her
breath sharply."
Confusing Sentence: "Won't you come in?" He heard her draw
in her breathe sharply."
Explanation of Confusion: In the confusing sentence "breathe"
is used instead of the correct term "breath". The difference
is that breath is a noun which means the air that goes in and
out of your lungs. Breathe on the other hand is a verb which
means to inhale or exhale.

3. Sentence 2
Original Sentence: "So many youthful
lovers, she had come, in self-defense, to nourish herself wholly
from within.
Confusing Sentence: "So many youthful
lovers, she had come, in self-defence, to nourish herself wholly
from within."
Explanation of Confusion: The confusion comes from the difference
between "defense" and "defence." People in America would likely be
confused by the use of "defence" because it is primarily used in
British English, where "defense" is used in American English.

4. Sentence 3
Original Sentence: "He had been born in Keeble, a Minnesota village fifty
miles
farther north, and he always gave Keeble as his home instead of Black
Bear Village."
Confusing Sentence: "He had been born in Keeble, a Minnesota village
fifty miles
further north, and he always gave Keeble as his home instead of Black
Bear Village."
Explanation of Confusion: The confusion is found in the use of the
word "further vs "farther." In this instance the correct word would be
farther because farther refers to a physical distance whereas further
refers to a metaphorical distance.

5. Sentence 4
Original Sentence: "Which she had visited frequently
during the past two years, and of the near-by city which
supplied Sherry Island with its patrons,"
Confusing Sentence:"Which she had visited frequently
during the past two years, and of the near-by city which
supplied Sherry Island with it's patrons,"
Explanation of Confusion: The confusion is in the difference
between "its" and "it's." The correct word in this sentence would
be "its" because it means "belonging to it." "It's" on the other
hand is a contraction for "it is" which would not work in this
sentence.

6. Sentence 5
Original Sentence: "In the fall when the days became crisp and
gray,"
Confusing Sentence: "In the fall when the days became crisp
and grey,"
Explanation of Confusion: This is another case of the
confusion coming from the difference between American and
British English. The confusion is found in the difference
between the word "gray" and "grey." The difference being that
"gray" is used in American Enlgish and "grey" is used in
British Enlglish.

7. Sentence 6
Original Sentence: "if he moved backward he would lose his full view of
her
face."
Confusing Sentence:"if he moved backward he would loose his full
view of her
face."
Explanation of Confusion: The proper word for this sentence would
be "lose" not "loose." Lose means to misplace something, but
loose means something that is not firmly fixed.

8. Sentence 7
Original Sentence: "While they were searching the stiff
grasses of the rough there was a clear call of "Fore!" from
behind a hill in their rear."
Confusing Sentence:"While they were searching the stiff
grasses of the rough there was a clear call of "Fore!" from
behind a hill in there rear."
Explanation of Confusion: The confusion in this sentence is
in the use of the second "there." The correct word in this
sentence would actually be "their" because it is a possessive
form of they, but "there" indicates a place.

9. Sentence 8
Original Sentence: "If any of these assailed her too strongly she
would immediately resolve the affair to a physical basis."
Confusing Sentence:"If any of these assailed her to strongly
she would immediately resolve the affair to a physical
basis."
Explanation of Confusion: The confusion is in the difference
between "to" and "too." In the first instance the correct
word would be too because it is an intensifier but to is not.

10. Sentence 9
Original Sentence: "Who's that?" she called, shutting off her
motor."
Confusing Sentence: ""Whose that?" she called, shutting off
her motor."
Explanation of Confusion: The correct word in this sentence
would be "who's" not "whose." This is because who's is a
contraction of "who is" which fits in this sentence. Whose
means "something belonging to someone" which does not fit in
this sentence.

11. Sentence 10
Original Sentence: "When he looked around again the girl was standing up on
the rushing board, her arms spread wide, her eyes lifted toward
the moon."
Confusing Sentence:"When he looked around again the girl was standing
up on the rushing board, her arms spread wide, her eyes lifted towards
the moon."
Explanation of Confusion: The confusion in this sentence is comes from
the difference between "toward" and "towards." Toward is used in
American English but towards is used in British English. Since the
author is American the proper word would be toward not towards.