Correct these mistakes, please

[xpert]

Hi there

QUESTION 1

Therefore, people waited for a long time for something that can scatter darkness away

I know the verb scatter, but is it correct to say "scatter away"? Is it a phrasal verb or what? I looked it up in Oxford Collocation Dictionary but I didn't find the word "away".

- Is it used correctly in the sentence above?
By the way, the sentence taken from a paragraph about electricity.

QUESTION 2

Read the following sentence:

Actual Sentence
"If people have faced the problem, they would have discussed for a solution"


Is it possible to paraphrase the sentence, if so will the meaning change



Paraphrased Sentence:
Whenever there was a problem, people discussed it together in order to come up with a solution.

[tedtmc]

not a teacher

Therefore, people waited for a long time for something that can disperse darkness.

If people have faced the problem, they would have discussed and find a solution.

You cannot use 'discuss for' I think.

[bhaisahab]

not a teacher

Therefore, people waited for a long time for something that can disperse darkness.

If people have faced the problem, they would have discussed and find a solution.

You cannot use 'discuss for' I think.

Therefore, people waited for a long time for something that could disperse/drive away/dispel darkness.


Paraphrased Sentence:
Whenever there was a problem, people discussed it together in order to come up with a solution. This is a good sentence, I am not sure if it says exactly what you wanted your first sentence to say.

[Soup]

If people have faced the problem, they would have discussed and find a solution.

Try,

Ex: When people are faced with a problem, they (will) discuss it [in order] to find a solution.

[tedtmc]

If people have faced the problem, they would have discussed and found a solution.

I know the tense is awkward but is the sentence grammatically correct though. Can you say 'discussed' without 'it'

[Soup]

I know the tense is awkward but is the sentence grammatically correct though. Can you say 'discussed' without 'it'.

If people have faced the problem, they would have discussed and found a solution.

The sentence is ungrammatical; moreover, discuss is a transitive verb: it needs an object.

Ex: ... they would have discussed it ...

[Ikramullah]

The sentence is ungrammatical; moreover, discuss is a transitive verb: it needs an object.

Ex: ... they would have discussed it ...

If people had faced the problem, the would have discussed it and found a solution for.

People did not face a problem, so they did not work to find a solution for.
It is an unreal conditional sentence, and the result is in the past.
{ ESL Teacher}
I agree with soup.