Hayre, indeed, and cold, was the sympathy that a transgressor might look for, from such bystanders at the scaffold.
on the other hand, a penalty which, in our days, would infer a degree of mocking infamy and ridicule, might then be
invested with almost as stern a dignity as the punishment of death itself.
which best describes the purpose of the words "meagre," "scaffold," "stern," and "punishment of death"?
they impart a judgmental, reproachful mood.
they impart a gloomy and woeful mood.
they establish the municipal setting of the town square.
they establish the boisterous setting at the scaffold.

Read the excerpt from "mother tongue." lately, i’ve been giving more thought to the kind of english my mother speaks. like others, i have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” english. but i wince when i say that. it has always bothered me that i can think of no other way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. what best supports the inference that tan believes nonstandard english is no less valid than standard english? tan spends a lot of time thinking about her mother’s “fractured” english. tan has trouble thinking of descriptive words when she is writing. tan’s american education makes it difficult for her to understand her mother. tan winces when she describes her mother’s english as “broken.”