First of all, the answer to Grammar Quiz #!: “The woman, now living in the New York suburbs, is a former native of Kosovo.”
The problem is with “former native.” Once you’re a native, you’re a native. You can’t change where you were born. This week’s “Word Surgeon” award goes to Garrison Haines-Temons the first one to nail it.
Dr. John’s Grammar Quiz #2 . Careful writers, test your grammar chops. Can you spot the glaring error in this sentence? “The scandal decimated the president’s family.” Answer next week when I get back from a Pirate writing workshop in Santa Barbara. Stay tuned.
Dr. John
I’m going to take a shot in the dark here and say that the word “decimate” is used incorrectly. Decimate applies to entire populations of people, not just small clans like this president’s family (unless of course he lives on a polygamy ranch, but I’m guessing he doesn’t).