Correct Answer: and he has remained afraid, except in shallow water, ever since the sentence in question reads: "thomas fell into the water while rafting, and he has remained afraid, except in shallow water, ever since."
to determine the best choice for the underlined portion of the sentence, we must assess each option for clarity, correctness, and conciseness.
1. **original sentence**: "and he has remained afraid, except in shallow water, ever since"
- **analysis**: the original sentence is grammatically correct and clear. the phrase "ever since" appropriately links back to the event of thomas falling into the water, indicating the time since which he has been afraid. the exception of "except in shallow water" is also placed correctly to modify his fear by specifying conditions under which his fear does not apply.
2. **option**: "since that time he has remained afraid, except in shallow water"
- **analysis**: this option changes "ever since" to "since that time," which is redundant and less concise. the original phrasing is preferable as it is more streamlined and directly connects to the preceding clause.
3. **option**: "where ever since he has remained afraid, except in shallow water"
- **analysis**: this option introduces "where," which is inappropriate because it suggests a location, which is not relevant to the time aspect that "ever since" refers to. the use of "where" makes the sentence grammatically incorrect.
4. **option**: "he has remained afraid, except in shallow water since then"
- **analysis**: this rearrangement places "since then" at the end of the sentence, potentially causing confusion about what "since then" modifies. it could be misinterpreted as modifying "shallow water" rather than his fear, thus reducing the clarity of the sentence.
5. **option**: "and since then he has remained afraid, except in shallow water"
- **analysis**: this option shifts "ever since" to "since then," which is grammatically correct but unnecessary. the original "ever since" is more specific in connecting the temporal element to the specific incident mentioned earlier in the sentence.
**conclusion**: the best choice is the original sentence: "thomas fell into the water while rafting, and he has remained afraid, except in shallow water, ever since." this option maintains grammatical correctness, clarity, and conciseness, effectively communicating that thomas’s fear has persisted since the incident, with the specific exception of when he is in shallow water.
|