Sentence Correction

Although he is reported to have spoken his mind freely while being a young child, Ralph Nader was 25 years old before he began to advocate professionally as an attorney.

A. while being a young child
B. while in childhood
C. at the time of his being a child
D. as being in childhood
E. as a young child


OA E

Source: Veritas Prep

BTGmoderatorDC wrote: ↑

Fri May 26, 2023 6:46 pm

Although he is reported to have spoken his mind freely while being a young child, Ralph Nader was 25 years old before he began to advocate professionally as an attorney.

A. while being a young child
B. while in childhood
C. at the time of his being a child
D. as being in childhood
E. as a young child


OA E

Source: Veritas Prep

This sentence correction question is testing us on idiom usage and conciseness. The sentence is referring to Ralph Nader's actions when he was a young child.

A) "while being a young child" - incorrect. The phrase "while being" is awkward and unnecessarily verbose
B) "while in childhood" - incorrect. This is also awkward. We typically say "as a child" or "when he was a child," not "while in childhood."
C) "at the time of his being a child" - incorrect. This is verbose and overly formal
D) "as being in childhood" - incorrect. This is not a natural way to express the idea
E) "as a young child" - correct. This is a clear, concise, and idiomatic way to express the idea

Answer is E