Question

It was the day Ian learned the importance of being a big brother. Ian and his three-year old sister, Reece, were at the neighborhood pool. Before they got there, their mother told Ian to take special care to watch out for Reece who was still a quite weak swimmer. Ian said he would, but later got distracted by a game of "Gator." The next thing he knew, his mother dove into the water around him, and pulled his little sister up from the bottom. Reece was fine after she coughed awhile. Ian felt terrible. He felt very badly about not watching his sister. He made a resolution to be a better brother in the future.

How can the italicized sentences in this paragraph be combined to eliminate repetition most effectively?


A) Ian felt very badly about not watching his sister, so he made a resolution to be a better brother in the future.
B) Feeling very badly, Ian felt terrible about not watching his sister, so he made a resolution to be a better brother in the future.
C) Ian felt terrible. He felt very badly about not watching his sister, so he made a resolution to be a better brother in the future.
D) Ian felt terrible, and he felt very badly about not watching his sister. He made a resolution to be a better brother in the future.

Answer 1

Answer: A) Ian felt very badly about not watching his sister, so he made a resolution to be a better brother in the future.

Explanation: Ian felt very badly about not watching his sister, so he made a resolution to be a better brother in the future.. This revision eliminates the repetition of describing how badly Ian feels and combines that feeling with its result--Ian's intention to be a better brother in the future.

Answer 2

Cambridge English Dictionary defines "terrible" as "very unpleasant or serious or bad."

So, terrible is a synonym of feeling bad. In the given paragraph, the lines " Ian felt terrible." and "He felt very badly" are repetitions of each other.

The sentences " Ian felt terrible. He felt very badly about not watching his sister. He made a resolution to be a better brother in the future. " in this paragraph can be combined to eliminate repetition most effectively in the following way :

A) Ian felt very badly about not watching his sister, so he made a resolution to be a better brother in the future.