Are these sentences correct?

Groundbelow73

Registered
Joined
May 16, 2015
Messages
26
Reaction score
0
Location
Germany
I'm not a native speaker. To improve my language skills I sometimes write stories in English (just for the fun of it.)
Are the following passages correct?

1) "Law became stricter," he explained, "and it became more and more difficult to work with shell companies. Today the group is no longer that powerful, but powerful enough to get us in serious trouble. The problem, however, isn't what they did back then," he pointed out, "because most of the offenses—except the murder of your father—are statute-barred."

Note: My beta reader didn't seem to know the term "time-barred." I rephrased the sentence, but I'm still not sure whether it's correct. In case the term "statute-barred"(or "time-barred") is wrong: you steal something, and years later it's proven. Nevertheless, there won't be filed charges against you because the case is no longer of any interest. Only for murder you can be convicted any time of your life.

2) The truck was an old, dented, rusty pickup that didn't even have seatbelts. D. looked at it in disbelief, especially after he had seen the almost new SUV in the back of the farm.
"After you." He opened the door on the driver's side, gesturing for R. to get in.
"They are watching us," R. hissed. "Now they probably think we are like an old couple that not even separate in order to use the toilet."
"Well, we don’t separate in order to use the toilet," D. retorted, pushing R. forward.
Luckily, it was easy to get in as the pickup was equipped with one long seat in the front instead of two separated seats.

Context: My characters are chained together, which make it impossible for them to get in the car separately.
"On" or "at the driver’s side"? I'm not sure about "like an old couple that not even...," and about the last sentence.
About the old couple--I was thinking about girls, best friends, who go everywhere together, even to the restroom. I don't know whether this is common in the US. In case it is, could you say something like, "Now they probably think we are best buddies who even use the toilet together"?

Thanks in advance. :)
 
Last edited:

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!
Kind Benefactor
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 5, 2005
Messages
9,907
Reaction score
1,834
Location
Hiding in my writing cave
Website
www.cathyclamp.com
They're a little formal in tone--more like an attorney talking to their client than two contemporaries. A few thoughts:

1) Instead of "because most of the offenses---except the murder of your father---are statute-barred," try: "because most of the offenses expire over time. But crimes like the murder of your father never expire."

2) This paragraph is a tough one. It doesn't really ring true for me. Maybe: The rusty old beater pickup didn't even have seatbelts. D. (Did you mean R here?) looked at it in disbelief, especially after he had seen the almost new SUV in the back of the farm.
"After you." D opened the door on the driver's side, gesturing for R. to get in.
"They're watching us," R. hissed. "Now they probably think we're a couple."
"Well, we sort of are." D. retorted, pushing R. forward across the bench seat, the chain rattling against the gear shift as he did.

Good luck with the stories!
 

Groundbelow73

Registered
Joined
May 16, 2015
Messages
26
Reaction score
0
Location
Germany
They're a little formal in tone--more like an attorney talking to their client than two contemporaries.

1) Instead of "because most of the offenses---except the murder of your father---are statute-barred," try: "because most of the offenses expire over time. But crimes like the murder of your father never expire."

It's a good idea to start a new sentence, but what I would like to point out is that there isn't much they can do against the group they are talking about.
Maybe, "Most of the offenses expired over time, except the murder of your father, of which it is hard to prove X had been involved." ???
(By the way, none of the characters is a lawyer, but both of them definitely know terms of law. Just as an explanation. I know it's difficult to comment on something without knowing the exact context.)

2) This paragraph is a tough one. It doesn't really ring true for me. Maybe: The rusty old beater pickup didn't even have seatbelts. D. (Did you mean R here?) looked at it in disbelief, especially after he had seen the almost new SUV in the back of the farm.


No, it's D. He's the younger man, and he has never seen such an old car before. ;)

"After you." D opened the door on the driver's side, gesturing for R. to get in.
"They're watching us," R. hissed. "Now they probably think we're a couple."
"Well, we sort of are." D. retorted, pushing R. forward across the bench seat, the chain rattling against the gear shift as he did.


Thanks! Sounds good. :)

Good luck with the stories!

Thank you :)
 
Last edited:

ironmikezero

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 8, 2011
Messages
1,741
Reaction score
433
Location
Haunted Louisiana
I suspect the phrase you're looking for is statute of limitations (as in ". . . most of the offenses--except the murder of your father--are time-barred from prosecution since the statute of limitations has run out.")

It may seem somewhat technical, but it's a bit more accurate and specific.
 

cornflake

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Messages
16,171
Reaction score
3,734
I'm not a native speaker. To improve my language skills I sometimes write stories in English (just for the fun of it.)
Are the following passages correct?

1) "Law became stricter," he explained, "and it became more and more difficult to work with shell companies. Today the group is no longer that powerful, but powerful enough to get us in serious trouble. The problem, however, isn't what they did back then," he pointed out, "because most of the offenses—except the murder of your father—are statute-barred."

Note: My beta reader didn't seem to know the term "time-barred." I rephrased the sentence, but I'm still not sure whether it's correct. In case the term "statute-barred"(or "time-barred") is wrong: you steal something, and years later it's proven. Nevertheless, there won't be filed charges against you because the case is no longer of any interest. Only for murder you can be convicted any time of your life.

2) The truck was an old, dented, rusty pickup that didn't even have seatbelts. D. looked at it in disbelief, especially after he had seen the almost new SUV in the back of the farm.
"After you." He opened the door on the driver's side, gesturing for R. to get in.
"They are watching us," R. hissed. "Now they probably think we are like an old couple that not even separate in order to use the toilet."
"Well, we don’t separate in order to use the toilet," D. retorted, pushing R. forward.
Luckily, it was easy to get in as the pickup was equipped with one long seat in the front instead of two separated seats.

Context: My characters are chained together, which make it impossible for them to get in the car separately.
"On" or "at the driver’s side"? I'm not sure about "like an old couple that not even...," and about the last sentence.
About the old couple--I was thinking about girls, best friends, who go everywhere together, even to the restroom. I don't know whether this is common in the US. In case it is, could you say something like, "Now they probably think we are best buddies who even use the toilet together"?

Thanks in advance. :)

1. I'd use 'laws' as if you're talking about one, you'd say 'the law,' or 'that law,' though 'the law' is also collective, as in 'the law of the land,' or 'you've never broken the law?' Isn't English fun?! :D

I'd also say 'the statute of limitations has run out/expired.' It's common enough to be spoken by pretty much anyone believably. Statute-barred isn't how it's said, and would be confusing, as would time-barred, imo.

2. I don't mind the old couple thing. I'd say bench and bucket seats - but I don't think any old pickups had bucket seats. Even now I think a ton have bench seats, afaik.
 

Groundbelow73

Registered
Joined
May 16, 2015
Messages
26
Reaction score
0
Location
Germany
I suspect the phrase you're looking for is statute of limitations (as in ". . . most of the offenses--except the murder of your father--are time-barred from prosecution since the statute of limitations has run out.")

It may seem somewhat technical, but it's a bit more accurate and specific.

It doesn't matter if it is technical. It suits the character to say something like that. Sounds good. Thanks. :)

1. I'd use 'laws' as if you're talking about one, you'd say 'the law,' or 'that law,' though 'the law' is also collective, as in 'the law of the land,' or 'you've never broken the law?' Isn't English fun?! :D

Sometimes English is fun, indeed. :D
And I guess you are damn right because it's not just one law that had become stricter.


2. I don't mind the old couple thing. I'd say bench and bucket seats - but I don't think any old pickups had bucket seats. Even now I think a ton have bench seats, afaik.

It's a pickup from the 1950s. I can picture it, but it's difficult to find the right word. :D I think "bench seat" is the word I'm looking for. Thanks. :)
 
Last edited:

Tottie Scone

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 22, 2015
Messages
304
Reaction score
43
Location
Scotland
I'm fine with the first paragraph, the only bit that isn't fluid is "law became stricter " - would be better as "the law became stricter" or "laws became stricter".

2) The truck was an old, dented, rusty pickup that didn't even have seatbelts. D. looked at it in disbelief, especially after he had seen the almost new SUV in the back of the farm.
"After you." He opened the door on the driver's side, gesturing for R. to get in.
"They are watching us," R. hissed. "Now they probably think we are like an old couple that not even separate in order to use the toilet."
"Well, we don’t separate in order to use the toilet," D. retorted, pushing R. forward.
Luckily, it was easy to get in as the pickup was equipped with one long seat in the front instead of two separated seats.

This one has a few niggles:

-I think you should use more contractions. "They're watching us", "we're like" instead of "they are" and "we are". Speaking without contractions is unusual and only really done for special emphasis. Sometimes it can even sound hostile.

- "D. looked at it in disbelief, especially after he had seen the almost new SUV in the back of the farm." - this sentence structure is a bit off, you're saying he "looked... especially". You can't especially look at something, you just look at it. It's the disbelief that's special, not the looking, so that needs some rewording. That is not really a language mistake, though, plenty of native speakers do things like that!

-the sentence about the old couple is a bit long and slightly awkward. I'd shorten it - but that's more a comment on style than grammar. Where the grammar falls down is "not even separate" - that should be "don't even separate".

That's the only actual error, but if you're up for stylistic comments: I somehow don't like the use of "separate" - can't tell you why, if just feels wrong here. I'd go for something like "we look like some old couple that holds hands to go to the bathroom!" - something simpler and less formal.

Does that help? I have to say, your English is amazing, very idiomatic and fluent. It's a very hard language to pass as a native speaker, but you're really not far off (in your writing at least). A bit more practice and no-one would know
 

WWWalt

Sockpuppet
Banned
Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Messages
118
Reaction score
10
The answers depend on where your story takes place.

1) "Law became stricter," he explained, "and it became more and more difficult to work with shell companies. Today the group is no longer that powerful, but powerful enough to get us in serious trouble. The problem, however, isn't what they did back then," he pointed out, "because most of the offenses—except the murder of your father—are statute-barred."

In the US, the legal term you're looking for is "statute of limitations." As cornflake says, it's widely used and understood by lay people. The equivalent term may differ in the legal systems of other countries.

I would omit the second dialogue tag. It's unnecessary--the reader will remember who's speaking--and distracting, because it makes the reader wonder why it's there.

2) The truck was an old, dented, rusty pickup that didn't even have seatbelts. D. looked at it in disbelief, especially after he had seen the almost new SUV in the back of the farm.
"After you." He opened the door on the driver's side, gesturing for R. to get in.
"They are watching us," R. hissed. "Now they probably think we are like an old couple that not even separate in order to use the toilet."
"Well, we don’t separate in order to use the toilet," D. retorted, pushing R. forward.

In the US, one would say "use the bathroom"; "use the toilet" is a more British phrasing.

Culturally, the stereotype in the US (and possibly elsewhere) is for women to use the bathroom in pairs. There's not really such a stereotype for old couples in the US.

I'd strike the "in order" both times in the above dialogue; it's unnecessary and makes the dialogue sound stilted. Also, a more natural way to phrase "an old couple that not even separate" is "an old couple that doesn't even separate."
 

Tottie Scone

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 22, 2015
Messages
304
Reaction score
43
Location
Scotland
That's true about they old couples, maybe "a couple of schoolgirls" might work better
 

Groundbelow73

Registered
Joined
May 16, 2015
Messages
26
Reaction score
0
Location
Germany
- "D. looked at it in disbelief, especially after he had seen the almost new SUV in the back of the farm." - this sentence structure is a bit off, you're saying he "looked... especially". You can't especially look at something, you just look at it. It's the disbelief that's special, not the looking, so that needs some rewording. That is not really a language mistake, though, plenty of native speakers do things like that!

Interesting. It makes sense, but I would have never thought of it because in my mind "especially" has a completely different meaning. It's a matter of "translation". (I don't translate when I write in English, but I can't get rid of my native language completely. :D)

That's the only actual error, but if you're up for stylistic comments: I somehow don't like the use of "separate" - can't tell you why, if just feels wrong here. I'd go for something like "we look like some old couple that holds hands to go to the bathroom!" - something simpler and less formal.

I agree on "separate." :D I didn't like it, either, thought it sound odd.

Does that help? I have to say, your English is amazing, very idiomatic and fluent. It's a very hard language to pass as a native speaker, but you're really not far off (in your writing at least). A bit more practice and no-one would know

Thanks. :) I do my best practising by writing some stories. The first one was dreadful, but it's getting better.

The answers depend on where your story takes place.
In the US, the legal term you're looking for is "statute of limitations." As cornflake says, it's widely used and understood by lay people. The equivalent term may differ in the legal systems of other countries.

Yes, it takes place it the US.
Thanks for confirming. :)

In the US, one would say "use the bathroom"; "use the toilet" is a more British phrasing.

Oh, yeah, right. Being from Europe I'm more used to BE, but as most of these stories take place in the US and my beta reader is AE native speaker I'm trying to get use to American phrasing and spelling.

That's true about they old couples, maybe "a couple of schoolgirls" might work better

As they CAN'T separate whatever they do and wherever they go because of the chain, I think your suggestion about "holding hands" is straight to the point.
D.'s answer to it might be, "Well, there's some truth in it, isn't it?"

Thanks everyone. :) I think I got it right now.
 

Tottie Scone

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 22, 2015
Messages
304
Reaction score
43
Location
Scotland
D.'s answer to it might be, "Well, there's some truth in it, isn't it?"

That should be "Well, there's some truth in it, isn't there?" or "Well, it's true, isn't it?"

Sorry to niggle! But then I suppose you asked for it (literally).