When I was young, the world seemed much bigger. As I walked around town as a kid with my friends, we were captivated by the wild-seeming hills encircling our hometown. For all we knew, they could lead anywhere: to another city, [1] to a mountain range, a hidden canyon, or could just keep going forever. I always [2] figured: that if you walked long enough through any tree-ridden hillside, you would end up at the eventual edge of the Pacific Ocean. This was land’s end, the border and container of all Los Angeles. [3] Thinking about big cities always puts me in a different mood.
As we grew up we naturally became more adventurous and more intrepid. Eventually, on one special Saturday morning, we set our sights on a particularly [4] wild, looking hill behind the old elementary school and set off. It was foggy and slightly cool. We were no strangers to bushwhacking through our town’s well-manicured lawns and [5] gardens; still, we made sure not to cross the fence into anyone’s backyard or private property. This was a sure way to cut our adventure short. [6] We trudged through: bushes, stepped over branches, walked easily over patches of dried grass, and found interesting trash and artifacts along the way as we continued upward, ceaselessly, along this hillside. [7] Beer cans, abandoned tires, and weather-worn scraps of paper, littering the ground. Soon after, the sun began to [8] came out, burning its way through the overcast atmosphere.
We continued upward, settling in to the pace of the adventure. We felt tired, but since we were young and enthusiastic, [9] we were keeping on. We felt like adventurers in our right place, some ancient Viking travellers exploring a new land, except it was our land and our own story. As we walked, the wild grass disappeared and our [10] surrounding got more tame. We saw rows of grapes lined up in the distance; a vineyard! Yet, since we had jumped no fences, we figured we were still in the clear. We walked uphill along the long rows, and soon after a man came up to us in a golf cart. He said that it was indeed his private property, but he seemed [11] impressing that we had walked so far! He offered us snacks or water, but we said [12] “we didn’t need them.” [13] Then he told us the most amazing thing, that we had walked clear into another town. [14] Who gave us directions to the nearest road before leaving us again.
One of our older friends, who had already learned how to drive, picked us up and drove us back to town. [15] As we waited, satisfied with ourselves, in the afternoon sunshine. Life always has more adventures to offer, no matter where you look.
Question five: We were no strangers to bushwhacking through our town’s well-manicured lawns and [5] gardens; still, we made sure not to cross the fence into anyone’s backyard or private property.
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1 point
NO CHANGE
gardens still;
gardens and still
gardens yet still
1 answer
The best option for sentence [5] that maintains proper punctuation and flow is "gardens and still."
So the revised sentence would read: "We were no strangers to bushwhacking through our town’s well-manicured lawns and gardens and still; we made sure not to cross the fence into anyone’s backyard or private property."
Thus, I recommend:
gardens and still
