Understanding Standard English Usage

The question asks us to identify the sentence among the given options that follows Standard English Usage. This means we need to evaluate each sentence for correct grammar, syntax, vocabulary, and idiom.

Analyzing Each Sentence Option

Option 1: Both women took the knives, and handled those with awkwardness borne of a lacking of familiarity with handle of deadly weapons.

• The phrase "handled those" is less standard than "handled them" when referring back to "the knives."
• "a lacking of familiarity" is unidiomatic; the standard phrasing is "a lack of familiarity."
• "with handle of deadly weapons" is grammatically incorrect. It should likely be "with handling deadly weapons" or "with the handles of deadly weapons."

Option 2: Both women took the knives, handled them with awkwardness born of a lack of familiarity with handling weapons deadly.

• "took the knives, handled them" is grammatically acceptable, though using a participial phrase as in Option 3 is more concise.
• "born of a lack of familiarity" is standard usage. "Born of" and "borne of" are sometimes used interchangeably to mean 'resulting from', though 'borne of' (as in Option 3) is often preferred for abstract origins like qualities or feelings.
• "handling weapons deadly" is incorrect word order. The adjective "deadly" should precede the noun "weapons" — "handling deadly weapons."

Option 3: Both women took the knives, handling them with awkwardness borne of a lack of familiarity with handling deadly weapons.

• "took the knives, handling them" uses a participial phrase ("handling them...") modifying the subject "Both women," indicating an action happening concurrently with or immediately after the main verb "took." This is a standard and effective structure.
• "awkwardness borne of a lack of familiarity" uses "borne of," which correctly means 'resulting from' or 'caused by'. "a lack of familiarity" is standard and correct.
• "with handling deadly weapons" correctly uses the gerund "handling" as the object of the preposition "with," and the adjective "deadly" correctly modifies the noun "weapons."
• Overall, this sentence demonstrates correct grammar, standard phrasing, and logical structure.

Option 4: Both women taken the knives, handling them with awkwardness borne with a lack of familiarity of handling dead weapons.

• "Both women taken the knives" is grammatically incorrect. The past tense of "take" is "took." It should be "Both women took the knives."
• "borne with a lack of familiarity" is not standard usage; it should be "borne of a lack of familiarity."
• "a lack of familiarity of handling" is awkward; the standard phrasing is "a lack of familiarity with handling."
• "dead weapons" is nonsensical in this context; the intended meaning is likely "deadly weapons."

Conclusion on Standard English Usage

Based on the analysis of each option, Option 3 is the only sentence that fully conforms to Standard English Usage, exhibiting correct grammar, syntax, and idiomatic expressions.

Revision Table: Key Grammatical Points in Sentence Analysis

Additional Information: Mastering English Grammar and Usage

To improve English usage, it's helpful to understand key grammatical concepts:

• Participial Phrases: These are phrases beginning with a present participle (like "handling") or past participle (like "taken") that function as adjectives or adverbs, often describing the subject of the sentence. They can make sentences more concise. Example: "Running quickly, he caught the bus."
• Born vs. Borne: "Born" is typically used for birth ("She was born in May"). "Borne" is the past participle of "bear" meaning to carry, endure, or produce ("The weight was borne by the pillars," "Illness borne of stress"). In the sense of 'resulting from', both "born of" and "borne of" are used, but "borne of" is often preferred for abstract things like feelings, qualities, or experiences, as in "awkwardness borne of a lack of familiarity."
• Lack of Familiarity With/Of: The standard and most common preposition following "lack of familiarity" is "with." "Lack of familiarity with a subject" is correct. While "lack of familiarity of a subject" might occasionally be seen, it is generally considered non-standard or awkward.
• Adjective Order: In English, adjectives typically come before the nouns they describe (e.g., "a red car," "a difficult task," "deadly weapons").

Practicing sentence construction and identifying common errors are crucial steps in mastering Standard English Usage.