Grammar sentence correction

[star01]

Hi All,

can you help me with the following sentence corrections:
-Editing my post to remove anything that would give away answers. Not sure if it can be done. Please correct me so that I will know to what is the correct procedure.

 

[Jill Dorchester]

1) Suddenly I heard a horse whisper behind me: "your head is blocking my view."

• can "horse" be corrected to "hoarse". is there anything like "horse-like"?
• Also can you tell me if the quotes should be present or not?

Unless the whisperer is Mr. Ed, then "horse" should definitely be corrected to "hoarse." The phrase requires quotes because it is presented from the point of view of the speaker making the request. If it said "Suddenly a hoarse whisper behind me requested that I remove my hat", then the statement would not require quotes.

2) Eventually, justice prevailed, and the culprit got his desserts.

• desserts is wrong. as it is food or sweets. so how can this sentence be corrected?

The actual word that should be used here is pronounced like "desserts" but is spelled "deserts."

3) The mayor is accused of failing to combat street crime by senior citizens.

• Is this correct sentence structure? ------(Senior citizens accused the Mayor of failing to combat street crime.)

"Senior citizens accused the mayor of failing to combat street crime" is correct if you want to say that older people are accusing the mayor. The original sentence makes it sound as if seniors are the ones committing the crimes.

4) While attending church on Sunday, Frank Milligan's car horn began to blow.

• can you tell me how to correct this sentence.

What is it that you want to say here? That Frank was in church when he heard his car horn blow? Or that Frank's car horn was attending church? Consider the structure of your sentence and see if you can rewrite it so that the meaning is not ambiguous.

 

[star01]

Edited

 

[SoothingDave]

"...the culprit got his deserts." Note that the expression is usually "just deserts."

 

[star01]

"...the culprit got his deserts." Note that the expression is usually "just deserts."

Thank you to both Jill and SoothingDave.


Thank you for helping me out.

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

[SoothingDave]

While Frank Milligan was attending church on Sunday, his car horn began to blow. ----------- is this correct?

Yes.

 

[SoothingDave]

Thank you to both Jill and SoothingDave.

so "just deserts" is a idiom.
there for the correct sentence is : Eventually, justice prevailed, and the culprit got his just deserts.

It's a bit redundant. You could just say that t"he culprit eventually got his just deserts."

 

[star01]

Thank you so much Jill and SoothingDave.

 

[Rover_KE]

There is no need to keep writing new posts just to say "Thank you". It makes us think there is new information or a follow-up question and we spend time opening the thread. Simply click on the "Thank" button at the bottom left-hand corner of any post you find helpful.

 

[emsr2d2]

Star01, is there a good reason you have gone back and edited both of your posts, rendering all the responses nonsensical?