This was no meek penitent such as it behooved her to take into the presence of the offended Mrs.Lynde.(original) I understand the original this way: the original = (a.) This was no meek penitent (th

Search from various English teachers...

绑德sings

This was no meek penitent such as it behooved her to take into the presence of the offended Mrs.Lynde.(original) I understand the original this way: the original = (a.) This was no meek penitent (thing), which (= the week penitent thing) it behooved her to take into the presence of the offended Mrs.Lynde. or, (b.) This was no meek penitent who(= the week penitent) it behooved her to take into the presence of the offended Mrs.Lynde. (Note: it behooved her to take the week penitent into the presence of the offended Mrs.Lynde) Question : Is my guess correct?

Mar 19, 2023 1:47 PM

Answers · 8

Wow, what a sentence! Are you reading Victorian novels? I see more than one way to interpret this sentence. It's meaning might become clear if I were willing to read the whole novel (which I am not). This is my guess, which I do not guarantee to be correct: There are 3 people mentioned in this sentence. Let's call them AA - the penitent BB - the female who greets AA CC - Mrs Lynde AA was not a person that was just a little bit sorry (a meek penitent). Rather AA is a genuinely penitent person. In fact, AA is so very penitent that BB feels motivated (it behooved her) to allow her to see CC.

March 19, 2023

March 20, 2023

Your understanding of the original sentence is generally correct. The sentence is saying that the person in question is not a "meek penitent," or someone who is humble and sorry for their actions. It is implied that Mrs. Lynde expected or wanted a meek penitent to be brought before her. The sentence structure could be interpreted as either (a) or (b), but the meaning is the same either way. The important thing to understand is that the person being brought before Mrs. Lynde is not the type of person she was expecting or hoping to see.

March 19, 2023