Question

Which option is written correctly and exemplifies an incident of contested usage? (Select all that apply.) "When they heard the commotion across the room, the audience gravitated toward the noise to see what the fuss was about." The sentence ends with a preposition. "Maria knew the child was frightened, so she tried to gently remove the bandage from the panicked young toddler's finger." The sentence uses a split infinitive. "It was a sunny, clear day. There was scarcely no breeze, so naturally, we decided to drive to the beach." A sentence contains a double negative. "The meal was served in six courses, each more complex and colorful than the last. And delicious too." A sentence begins with a coordinating conjunction.

Answer 1

The option that is written correctly and exemplifies an incident of contested usage is the last one:

"The meal was served in six courses, each more complex and colorful than the last. And delicious too." A sentence begins with a coordinating conjunction.

Contested usage is a category within the English language in which new rules of usage come into play but there isn't a consensus yet in the way the new rules or words can be used. In the example provided, the contested usage is related to the use of the coordinating conjunction “and” at the beginning of a sentence since long ago this practice was not accepted. Even though it is accepted now, it is recommended not to use this sentence structure in formal documents.

Answer 2

Answer:

All of them are written correctly and exemplify an incident of contested usage.

Explanation:

Contested usage is the part of English Language where different academics come to the conflict in terms of correctness talking about grammar and uses creating different alternatives of use depending on the situation and beliefs of people.

These sentences show examples of very common contested usage as ending a sentence with a preposition, using a split infinitive, using a double negative, and starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunction.

"When they heard the commotion across the room, the audience gravitated toward the noise to see what the fuss was about."

The sentence ends with a preposition.

"Maria knew the child was frightened, so she tried to gently remove the bandage from the panicked young toddler's finger."

The sentence uses a split infinitive.

"It was a sunny, clear day. There was scarcely no breeze, so naturally, we decided to drive to the beach."

A sentence contains a double negative.

"The meal was served in six courses, each more complex and colorful than the last. And delicious too."

A sentence begins with a coordinating conjunction.