Question

I have to fix sentences. these are the ones i am stuck on..

It was a surprise to both Marys and I to learn that Switzerland didn't give women the right to vote until 1971.

Each of the young women in the Family Life class decided not to marry after they read that couples today have 2.3 children.

&

Jim explained to Frankie that the best way for him to avoid his recurring nosebleeds was to stay out of cousin's marital arguments

Answer 1

The first two have pronoun errors.

The last one is missing a pronoun.

What do you think?

Answer 2

is the first sentnces' error learn? should it be "to have learned?"

i cannot figure out the other two.

Answer 3

the lastt one is supposed to say Jm explained to Frankie that the best way for him to avoid his recurring nosebleeds was to stay out of his cousin's marital arguments. does that change anything?

Answer 4

No. The error is in the pronouns.

The pronoun in the first sentence is the object of the preposition, "to." The whole prepositional phrase is "to both Mary and _____." Would you say -- "to me" or "to I?"

In the second sentence, the wrong pronoun is "they." It's antecedent is "each" which is singular. It needs a singular pronoun to refer to it.

In the third sentence -- if you read carefully, I think you'll see it should be "stay out of HIS cousin's marital arguments."

Answer 5

Your correction in the 3rd sentence is correct.

First sentence:
It was a surprise to both Mary and<u> I </u>to learn that Switzerland didn't give women the right to vote until 1971.
(I have underlined the problem pronoun.)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/595/02/

Second sentence:
Each of the young women in the Family Life class decided not to marry after<u> they </u>read that couples today have 2.3 children.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/pronouns.htm

Let us know how you decide to correct these.

Answer 6

so would the first sentence be to both Marys and me instead of both Marys and I?

Would the second sentence work if i took out "each of" and left the young women?

Answer 7

i know i need to change they, but i cannot figure out what to change it to.

Answer 8

would i change they to she?

Answer 9

Right. after SHE read . . .

Answer 10

okay. i have another sentence if you don't mind answering some more. grammar like this is just my weakness..

Of whom did Oscar Wilde once say, "He hasn't a single redeeming vice?"

The stranger gave the free movie tickets to Louise and I after he saw people standing in line to leave the theater

Answer 11

The first sentence should have the question mark after the quotation marks. -- redeeming vice"?

Which would you say --
The stranger gave the free movie tickets to I
Or?
The stranger gave the free movie tickets to me.

Answer 12

so i would change Louise and i to Louise and me?

Answer 13

Right.

Answer 14

okay, i have ONE more sentence.

One of the first movies to gross over one million dollars was Tarzon of the Apes (1932), starring Johnny Weismuller, a former Olympic star who became an actor. This didn't happen often in the movie industry at that time.

Answer 15

The word that "This" refers to is not clear. What is "This"?

Answer 16

i think that "this" is supposed to be referring to olympic stars becoming actors

Answer 17

is there anything i can do to fix that?

Answer 18

Make the second sentence read like this:

Olympic stars becoming actors didn't happen often in the movie industry at that time.