Writing > Improving Sentences
Part or all of the following sentence is underlined; beneath the sentence are five ways of phrasing the underlined material. Select the option that produces the best sentence. If you think the original phrasing produces a better sentence than any of the alternatives, select choice A.
Being that she has a gift for comic timing, Esmeralda is a natural when it comes to storytelling.
(A) Being that she has a gift for comic timing
(B) In having a gift for comic timing
(C) With her gift for comic timing
(D) Although she has a gift for comic timing
(E) Comically timed
The Correct answer is C.
Explanation
Choice (C) is correct. It avoids the unidiomatic phrasing and wordiness of the original by replacing the unidiomatic participial phrase “Being that she has a gift for comic timing” with the more concise and idiomatic prepositional phrase “With her gift for comic timing.”
