Wuthering Heights: repetition of a personal pronoun

Walt Whitman

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2012
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Italian
Home Country
Italy
Current Location
Italy
When Lockwood felt better, Zillah, the housekeeper, handed him a candle, took him upstairs to his bedroom and gave him some strange advice: she told him to be quiet, because she was putting him in a room that her master never let anyone use.

Does it sound unnatural to repeat the pronoun “him” so many times?
Is there a better way to write the sentence?

Thank you
WW
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
Does it sound unnatural to repeat the pronoun “him” so many times?
Is there a better way to write the sentence?
No.
There are other ways, not necessarily better, for example:

When Lockwood felt better, Zillah, the housekeeper, handed him a candle, led the way upstairs to his bedroom and gave some strange advice: she said he should be quiet, because she was putting him in a room that her master never let anyone use.
 

Walt Whitman

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2012
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Italian
Home Country
Italy
Current Location
Italy
Is it quite wrong or just bad English?
 

Barque

Banned
Joined
Nov 3, 2022
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
India
Current Location
Singapore
I don't think that line is from the original book. It sounds like a line from a simplified version.
 

Tarheel

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
@Walt Whitman Two things. One, do you really think it's bad writing? Two, you haven't given anybody any likes.
 

jutfrank

VIP Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
I don't think that line is from the original book. It sounds like a line from a simplified version.

Ah, yes, you're right. This is not from the original Wuthering Heights.
 

Walt Whitman

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2012
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Italian
Home Country
Italy
Current Location
Italy
I was perplexed. Then, I saw 5jj change “Yes” to “No”, and I felt relieved.

Barque is right. I’ve been working for some time on a simplified version of the original text. It’s for personal use only. I love Emily Brontë’s only novel. The passage was just my attempt at simplifying the beginning of chapter 3.
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
I was perplexed. Then, I saw 5jj change “Yes” to “No”, and I felt relieved.
I thought I'd changed it before anybody read my original post. Sorry. I'd misread the question.
 

Barque

Banned
Joined
Nov 3, 2022
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
English
Home Country
India
Current Location
Singapore
I read your original post too and was wondering what to make of your next line that said "There are other ways, not necessarily better ..." I didn't realise you'd changed it till I saw Walt Whitman's #10.
 
Top