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I wrote:

Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter and certain options are provided for the user to proceed.

Can I say it like these:

Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter and certain options for the user to proceed.

Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter accompanied by certain options for the user to proceed.

More context:

Through this tool, students are presented with spoken words, which they are asked to spell using the computer keyboard. Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter and certain options for the user to proceed.

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  • I think the original is best. Why do you want to change it?
    – user3169
    Commented Feb 26, 2016 at 17:09
  • @user3169 I'm guessing it's to avoid the repeated usage of "to provide".
    – Era
    Commented Feb 26, 2016 at 17:15
  • @Era Since both clauses are not short, and the two words seem sufficiently separated, I would not worry about repetition too much.
    – user3169
    Commented Feb 26, 2016 at 17:27
  • Your two alternatives are ungrammatical. So is the original. "for" is not right in "options ... for the user to proceed" or "to proceed" is not right.
    – TimR
    Commented Feb 26, 2016 at 22:19
  • @user3169 one reason is the repetition, for example I may use "give" for the first "provide", but another important reason is that I want to learn. to know if I can skip a verb like that or not and what are alternatives for some sentences.
    – Ahmad
    Commented Feb 27, 2016 at 6:31

3 Answers 3

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The user is provided with options to proceed.

The user is provided with feedback for each incorrect letter, along with options to proceed.

The active pattern: X provides someone with something.
The passive pattern: someone is provided with something (by X).

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  • I'm not sure how this leaves out the verb; can you explain?
    – Nathan Tuggy
    Commented Feb 26, 2016 at 23:21
  • It doesn't leave out the verb. I'm not recommending that he do so. There's a number agreement issue with his first variant (is....options), and there's no need to move the user from the indirect object slot of "provided" to a prepositional phrase; that does nothing for clarity: "options are provided for the user to proceed"
    – TimR
    Commented Feb 26, 2016 at 23:38
  • In that case, I'd suggest you add that explanation (and perhaps more) to move the answer out of "site software will auto-flag as VLQ" territory. ;)
    – Nathan Tuggy
    Commented Feb 26, 2016 at 23:39
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Of these two:

Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter and certain options for the user to proceed.

Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter accompanied by certain options for the user to proceed.

The first usage is incorrect and unclear. The second phrase is technically correct, but I find it slightly uncomfortable, and perhaps readily misunderstood. I would drop the use of "certain", as I do not see that it adds anything to the meaning of the sentence. I would also use parentheses to clearly separate the descriptive clause.

Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter (accompanied by options for the user to proceed).

Or I might rewrite it more radically. E.g.:

Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter. Feedback includes options for the user to proceed.

Or, hewing more closely to your original, which is actually the clearest of the options you wrote:

Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter. Then options are provided for the user to proceed.

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I think the form of your original sentence is best.

If the problem is the repetition of "provided", I would not worry about it because both clauses are not short, and the two words seem sufficiently separated.

Otherwise, just pick a synonym that would work in context. For example:

Feedback is provided for each incorrect letter and certain options are displayed for the user to proceed.

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