Stuck and need help on this...?

Question

Okay, I know this sentence is a run-on, but I've been stuck on how to make it grammatically correct. Any Suggestions? Thanks.

The president-elect said that after he takes office, he will consult with his attorney general to decide whether to ask the courts to name an independent prosecutor to examine allegations that officials in his predecessor’s administration covered up efforts to help Iraq build up its military in the years before it invaded its neighbor.

Answer 1

First off, keep it shorter. Some of the other corrections I have seen are far wordier than they should be. Get straight to the point, and break up the sentences a little. It's just too wordy.

The following is a correction that would work:

The President-elect promises he will look into allegations that his soon-to-be predecessor helped Iraq strengthen its military years prior to invading its neighbor. In order to do so, he will consult with his Attorney General who will ask the courts to name an independent prosecutor to examine the allegations.

Answer 2

I hope this helps you out. Below are three possible ways to restructure the sentence. None of them might work for you but hopefully they will give you the creative nudge to figure out what you actually need.

1) Allegations against the officials in the previous administration’s cover up of its efforts to help Iraq build up its military prior to invading its neighbor has led the president-elect to state that he will consult with his attorney general about asking the courts to name an independent prosecutor to investigate the issue.

2) Taking any allegations about the previous administration’s involvement with the Iraqi military buildup prior to invading its neighbor, the president-elect has said that after taking office he will consult with his attorney general about asking the courts for an independent prosecutor be assigned to examine any evidence regarding a cover-up.

3) The president-elect stated he will consult with his attorney general then decide whether to ask the courts to name an independent prosecutor. The independent prosecutor’s job will be to examine allegations that officials in his predecessor’s administration covered up efforts to help Iraq build up its military in the years before it invaded its neighbor.

Answer 3

The president-elect said that after he takes office, he will consult with his attorney general. This will enable him to decide whether to ask the courts to name an independent prosecutor in a particular case. His function would be to examine certain allegations that have been made. These relate to assumptions concerning certain officials in his predecessor’s administration. It is alleged that they covered up efforts to help Iraq build up its military in the years before it invaded its neighbor.

Answer 4

After he takes office, the president-elect said that he will consult with his attorney general to decide whether to ask the courts to name an independent prosecutor to examine allegations which claim that officials in his predecessor’s administration covered up efforts to help Iraq build up its military in the years before it invaded its neighbor.


The first sentence seems a little awkward, so you might change it up a little. As far as the run-on goes, I also think it's hard to fix, but you might consider adding the word "which" instead of "that" to make things more clear.

Answer 5

The president-elect said that after he takes office, he will consult with his attorney general to decide whether to ask the courts to name an independent prosecutor. The independent prosecutor will examine allegations that officials in the president-elect predecessor’s administration covered up efforts to help Iraq build up its military in the years before it invaded its neighbor