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Ganges

Suggest improvements for the highlighted problem area: Irregardless of the dangers, Arjun and Malati sailed out of the Hooghly estuary and headed upriver just before high tide. Arjun was disinterested in doing any more sailing. Malati was nauseous. Hopefully they traveled towards home. Unfortunately, their roomate had done them a diservice by insisting that the tidal surges in the estuary were overated. Near Calcutta a six-foot tidal wave left their boat broken and stranded on the ghats. Answer: - It is Hoped - In the middle of our opening paragraph, the meaning of a sentence is muddled because of the sloppy placement of the adverb hopefully: Hopefully they traveled towards home. There is ambiguity here. Does hopefully describe how they felt as they traveled? Or does it describe the feelings of the writer? Careful placement of this adverb makes it clear: They traveled hopefully towards home. When we do want to express our hopeful feelings about what is going on in a sentence, we can use It is hoped to begin the sentence. This phrase is a bit formal and stiff, but it is clear and correct. Try a mnemonic to help remember: It is hoped the good priest, is praying hopefully at least.

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