Question

4) Which strategy would MOST improve Laurel's statement by making its language more conventional? (Laurel is meeting with the new neighbors to discuss babysitting for her three year old daughter.) Laurel: "I always enjoy babysitting for a little boy named Grant on the weekend, even though I could be out shooting the breeze with friends." A) Change the phrase "always enjoy" because she probably does not like to babysit Grant every time. B) Add the last name of the little boy named Grant because it is inappropriate to use only first names. C) Change the phrase "with friends" because it is too vague and informal to use when speaking to adults. D) Change the phrase "shooting the breeze" because it is too informal and cannot be understood literally.

Answer 1

The strategy that would most improve Laurel’s statement to make it more conventional is option D) “Change the phrase "shooting the breeze" because it is too informal and cannot be understood literally.” When speaking to her new neighbors about babysitting their daughter, Laurel needs to adapt her language to her audience, in this case adults, in order to express her ideas in a way that everybody understands. The rest of the options are incorrect since the language used is not informal and does not interfere with the understanding of her message.