synthesis

In fact, I told my native speaker friends that my choice is #2.

2. The teacher of the boys lectured them for leaving the xchool without permission.

To me "The teacher of the boys punish them..." ('them' referring back to the boys).

But they say this sentence is a bit awkward.

Now I'm very confused because I've concluded from the replies that all the sentences are fine.

I'll repeat: we are not just being asked which sentence or sentences out of three are the "correct" ones. We are being asked which ones best represent a synthesis of the two sentences given in the question.

Count me in with your native speaker friends. I think some people here are missing the point. (Not uncommon on web forums)

Apparently, one needs to establish one's credentials as a native speaker here. I was born in the borough of Manhattan, while my parents were resident in the borough of the Bronx. Therefore, i am at the least a native speaker of the American language. To the extent that the American language is not incomprehensibly different from the English language, i consider it reasonable to state that i am a native speaker of the English language.

I have an elementary, secondary and university education. At university, i had a "double major" in history and English literature. Upon the basis of my life-long familiarity with the English language, and an education which required a high level of competence in that language, i have pointed out that although one might prefer sentence 3, sentence 1 is not incorrect, and the repetition of "boys" does not make it incorrect.

Contrex did not state that sentence 1 is not the correct synthesis of the two sentences in the titular post--he stated that it is incorrect without further qualifying the statement. That is false.

I will leave it to our distinguished and well-educated member from the Windy City to argue the relative grammatical merits of these sentences. I will continue to assert, accurately, that sentence 1 is not incorrect, and that the repetition of "boys" does not make it incorrect.

EDIT: I would be at pains to point out that at least one member here is willfully and obtusely missing the point that i have been making. Sentence 1 is not incorrect.

Oh, well that makes all the difference! In that case, sentence 1 is still the best.

In that case, why did you, in your post #2743858, make this statement?



Please note that you made no comment about the context of the content of the titular post--you simply stated, and falsely stated, that sentence 1 is "wrong because 'the boys' is repeated."