here's the problem: The telling of tales is oneof the earliest forms of entertainment, and they increased in complxity as time went on ( words from entertainment- complexity are underlined)
1) entertainment, and it increased thier complexity
2) entertainment, whcih both increased in complexity
3) entertainment, an activity that increased in complexity
4) no error
plz explain why and hopefully tag me to a website that might help me in grammar!
2007-06-11 11:05:41 · 11 answers · asked by cowluver 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
Option 3 is the correct one.
The question to ask yourself is 'What increased in complexity?'. It is 'the telling of tales'.
Option 3 is ideal, as the telling of tales is an activity.
Option 1 is not right, because there is no suitable plural word to which 'their' could refer. This option would be all right if it said 'entertainment, and it increased in complexity', but it doesn't.
Option 2 is incorrect, because 'both' needs to refer back to two things, not one. The 'telling of tales' is only one activity.
2007-06-11 11:24:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you had to choose from those four options I would use #3 however, I would simply say... the telling of tales is one of the earliest forms of entertainment which increased in complexity as time went on.
2007-06-11 11:11:37 · answer #2 · answered by sheri641 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
3 is the closest to correct. 1 is not parallel because telling of tales is singular and their is plural (same problem for 4 except with they). 2 is incorrect because there is only one subject so it's impossible for there to be a both. If I were to revise the sentence I would say "The telling of tales, one of the earliest forms of entertainment, increased in complexity over time". (for future reference: try not to end sentences with prepositions).
2007-06-11 11:16:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
How about:
"The telling of tales, one of the earliest forms of entertainment, increased in complexity as time went on."
You are using 'they' to refer to 'the telling of tales' and you can't refer to a verbal with a pronoun. So, rearrange the sentence to get rid of that clumsy construction.
2007-06-11 11:18:03 · answer #4 · answered by old lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
#3 is correct. The 'telling of tales' is a singular event, even though 'stories' is plural. Therefore 'an activity' is appropriate. #1 is wrong because 'their' refers to the people not the complexity (the people didn't get more complex, the stories did)
There is no one website that will instantly improve your grammar. Its a long process of learning rules and learning where not to apply the rules and where to apply logic.
2007-06-11 11:17:19 · answer #5 · answered by megalomaniac 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Considering the premise, this isn't quite correct, because, everything I've ever heard, concerning the telling of tales implies telling lies..
The oral tradition of telling stories is one of the earliest forms of entertainment, and, they increased in complexity as time went on.
2007-06-11 11:15:16 · answer #6 · answered by chuckufarley2a 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I agree with sheri641. Plus, here is a site you might want to check out.
http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/
2007-06-11 11:18:05 · answer #7 · answered by TJ 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure of the answer, but you can look it up in one of these sites:
http://www.dailygrammar.com/
http://www.englishchick.com/grammar/grrem.htm
http://englishplus.com/grammar/glossary.htm
http://grammarbook.com/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/
^ this is the best site to use though because it is the "official" one. really through
2007-06-11 11:12:42 · answer #8 · answered by imjustme 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
4.
2007-06-11 11:13:58 · answer #9 · answered by M n M 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
3. I can't really say why, I can't remember the lesson, but it's number 3.
2007-06-11 11:15:20 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋