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ACT English 1.4 Style 253 Views


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Description:

ACT English: Style Drill 1, Problem 4. Which choice best matches the formality of the sentence?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by tiny athletes.

00:08

How would you correct the underlined portion below, if at all?

00:12

Despite the obstacle of his slight build, Jack knew that it was only a matter of time

00:16

before he would be able to play against the big boys.

00:26

The tone of this sentence is kind of in between formal and informal.

00:29

While "play against the big boys" may sound like a phrase an ESPN host might use,

00:34

it's not formal enough to match "despite the obstacle of his slight build."

00:39

Therefore, we know that we can nix choice (A) right off the bat.

00:43

Choice (C) has the opposite problem of (A). The phrase "play against the renowned professionals"

00:48

is too elevated for this sentence.

00:49

So it looks like we're going to have to take (C) out of the game.

00:53

Now we're down to (B) and (D), which both meet our needs in terms of tone.

00:57

However, we can call a foul on (D) because it leaves out essential information.

01:02

The whole point of the sentence is that one day this guy will be a professional, despite

01:05

his current size.

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