(1) George Washington Carver was born in Missouri in about 1864. (2) As a boy he was known for his ability to care for plants. (
3) He majored in art and music in college, but changed his major to agriculture at the urging of one of his teachers. (4) Carver excelled in school and became well-known for his work with plants. (5) Later, he taught students how to care for plants. (6) He also taught them how to use science in farming. (7) Carver received countless awards during his lifetime and is still considered one of most important agriculturalists in American history. Leo is revising this draft of his PowerPoint® presentation about George Washington Carver. Which sentences should Leo combine to improve the flow of the presentation? A) sentences 5 and 6 B) sentences 2 and 3 C) sentences 3 and 4 D) sentences 6 and 7
I believe the best answer to be letter A) sentences 5 and 6.
Explanation:
What we have in sentences 5 and 6 is an example of wordiness. Wordiness means taking longer than what is necessary to get to the point. It happens when we use redundant expressions or simply when we use too many words. Removing wordiness from a text helps it to flow more easily.
In sentence 5, we learn that Carver taught students something. In sentence 6, we learn he taught them something else. Both sentences are quite short and could very well be combined to avoid the repetition of "he taught". All we need to do is add the conjunction "and", and remove the excess words.
(5) Later, he taught students how to care for plants. (6) He also taught them how to use science in farming. --> Later, he taught students how to care for plants and how to use science in farming.
Repeating a sequence of words at the beginning of a phrase is called 'Anaphora' in rhetoric. It is used in speeches to give emphasis to the point being discussed. Thus, the speaker wanted to emphasize his point and encourage his listeners to do something as well.
