[Vocabulary] "Her sense of desperation made her speechless" (?)

[Jonathan_Lee6032]

I happened to see a sentence for the word "desperation" in a vocabulary book by a Taiwanese English teacher: Her sense of desperation made her speechless.

Does it sound natural to native speakers? If not, how would you revise it to make it sound native-like?

Thanks!

 

[5jj]

Please always give us the title and author of any book you mention.

 

[Jonathan_Lee6032]

Please always give us the title and author of any book you mention.

It's titled "High-Frequency Advanced Vocabulary Builder" by Jiang, Cheng-wen. You might not be able to find the book online in your country, because it's written in Chinese and only sold in Taiwan (I guess). It's for the use of preparing for college entrance exams, which my niece is about to take next year.

I know this sentence is grammatically correct, but I was wondering whether it's native-like, so here I am.

 

[GoesStation]

It's hard to think of a context in which a native speaker would produce that sentence.

 

[Jonathan_Lee6032]

It's hard to think of a context in which a native speaker would produce that sentence.

I knew it! I'll tell her to throw it away.

 

[tedmc]

How about "she was desparate and lost for words"?

 

[probus]

I knew it! I'll tell her to throw it away.

Not so fast. Examinations reflect the language and culture of the examiners, so the right answer for purposes of a Taiwanese exam may not necessarily be what a native speaker would choose.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

"Her sense of desperation make her speechless" is grammatical, but it's wordy. More natural:

- Her desperation made her speechless.

- She was speechless with desperation.​

If there's a reason for wanting the longer wording, "feeling" would be more clear than "sense."

Say "which my niece is," not "which my niece's." Niece's is a possessive, not a contraction.

I'm not sure the book needs to be tossed. Few textbooks are perfect.

 

[jutfrank]

I don't think sense goes very well with desperation. It's much better to use feeling instead.

I also think made her speechless is not a very natural form of expression. The sentence is not a good example. Use another source.

 

[emsr2d2]

It's titled "High-Frequency Advanced Vocabulary Builder" by Jiang, Cheng-wen. You might not be able to find the book online in your country, because it's written in Chinese and only sold in Taiwan (I guess).

We don't need to be able to find the book. We just need you to provide the source and author whenever you quote someone else's words because the copyright laws in the UK (where the forum is based) are strict.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I don't think sense goes very well with desperation. It's much better to use feeling instead.

Yes, my comment exactly.

I also think made her speechless is not a very natural form of expression.

Good point. A much more natural expression is left her speechless.

The sentence is not a good example. Use another source.

There must be plenty.