Discussion Groups / English Usage / July 2009

The first 3
The last doesn't quite fit right  unless changed a bit.
D)  doesn't add up at all for me.

On 22 Jul 2009, Question wrote

(c), I'd say.

The closest is A, "in case", though "in case" does not seem an idiomatic
way of putting it.  The idea that someone may feel awkward doing
something if others are watching is common and simple enough; but a more
idiomatic expression of that thought would be "She felt awkward because
someone might be watching [her]."

The next-closest is B, though the sentence is not quite logical: the
awkwardness does not derive from the fear but from the watching.  Thus,  
"She felt awkward for fear that someone was watching her" does not state
exactly the same thought.

The only other plausible possibility, E, does not work either.  In one
sense, lest means "for fear of", but that fear is of a _future_
consequence: "don't speak loudly lest you be overheard"; "lest someone
was watching her" would be unsound tense use.  In a related sense, lest
means more or less "that", but again only as a future consequence and
only after some expression of fear ("He was afraid lest he fall and break
a leg."), so again there would be a mismatch of tenses.

The closest is A, "in case", though "in case" does not seem an idiomatic
way of putting it.  The idea that someone may feel awkward doing
something if others are watching is common and simple enough; but a more
idiomatic expression of that thought would be "She felt awkward because
someone might be watching [her]."

The next-closest is B, though the sentence is not quite logical: the
awkwardness does not derive from the fear but from the watching.  Thus,  
"She felt awkward for fear that someone was watching her" does not state
exactly the same thought.

The only other plausible possibility, E, does not work either.  In one
sense, lest means "for fear of", but that fear is of a _future_
consequence: "don't speak loudly lest you be overheard"; "lest someone
was watching her" would be unsound tense use.  In a related sense, lest
means more or less "that", but again only as a future consequence and
only after some expression of fear ("He was afraid lest he fall and break
a leg."), so again there would be a mismatch of tenses.

The closest is A, "in case", though "in case" does not seem an idiomatic
way of putting it.  The idea that someone may feel awkward doing
something if others are watching is common and simple enough; but a more
idiomatic expression of that thought would be "She felt awkward because
someone might be watching [her]."

The next-closest is B, though the sentence is not quite logical: the
awkwardness does not derive from the fear but from the watching.  Thus,  
"She felt awkward for fear that someone was watching her" does not state
exactly the same thought.

The only other plausible possibility, E, does not work either.  In one
sense, lest means "for fear of", but that fear is of a _future_
consequence: "don't speak loudly lest you be overheard"; "lest someone
was watching her" would be unsound tense use.  In a related sense, lest
means more or less "that", but again only as a future consequence and
only after some expression of fear ("He was afraid lest he fall and break
a leg."), so again there would be a mismatch of tenses.

The closest is A, "in case", though "in case" does not seem an idiomatic
way of putting it.  The idea that someone may feel awkward doing
something if others are watching is common and simple enough; but a more
idiomatic expression of that thought would be "She felt awkward because
someone might be watching [her]."

The next-closest is B, though the sentence is not quite logical: the
awkwardness does not derive from the fear but from the watching.  Thus,  
"She felt awkward for fear that someone was watching her" does not state
exactly the same thought.

The only other plausible possibility, E, does not work either.  In one
sense, lest means "for fear of", but that fear is of a _future_
consequence: "don't speak loudly lest you be overheard"; "lest someone
was watching her" would be unsound tense use.  In a related sense, lest
means more or less "that", but again only as a future consequence and
only after some expression of fear ("He was afraid lest he fall and break
a leg."), so again there would be a mismatch of tenses.

It seems quite likely that the thought wanting expression is that she
(like many people) feels nervous or awkward doing certain things if she
knows that others are watching her, one of those things being dancing.

In that case, the simple and clear choice is C:

 "She liked to dance but felt awkward if someone was watching her."

The others are not patently absurd, but come less close to expressing the
presumed idea clearly and simply.

The runner-up is A, "in case", though "in case" is not an idiomatic
way of putting it.  A more idiomatic expression of that variant idea
would be "She felt awkward because someone might be watching her."  But
the statement would amount to saying that she felt awkward dancing owing
to the mere possibility, not certainty, that others were watching her.

The next-closest is B, though the sentence again expresses a thought
different from what seems the obvious one.  "She felt awkward for fear
that someone was watching her" bases her awkwardness on her fear, rather
than on any actual watching.

The only other plausible possibility, E, does not work either, for the
same reasons as B, the meaning of which it closely parallels.

E, "so that", simply makes no sense: it confounds cause and effect,
saying that someone is watching her because she feels awkward.

This is a bad question because ambiguous:  it does
not specify whether "correct" means grammatically
conforming or stylistically preferable.  Every solution
might be grammatically correct in some contexts.

(C) is correct, and sensible.

(D) is nonsense.

(A), (B), and to a lesser extent (E), are
grammatically correct, but contradictory.
If she felt awkward about the possibility
that someone was watching, it would always
be a possibility, so she could never LIKE
dancing; nobody likes feeling awkward.
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