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Jan, I had seen the word anachronism before, but never knew its definition. Now that I know, the root word (ana) makes sense and seals the meaning for me.

Now, let me see if I can put the concept in a sentence.

The Cornwall Marching Band had broken all records for performance the year Jenny Lee joined. That was the year they were chosen to play in the July 4th parade. The celebration drew unprecedented crowds that year when it was broadcast that President George Washington and his wife, Martha, would be watching from their special observation booth. As the crowd cheered in the bleachers, from where I stood, I could see Jenny Lee beaming. She had just passed in front of President Washington's booth. When the celebration ended, The President, his wife and the entourage of Secret Servicemen jumped into limousines that stood ready to whisk them away from the enthusiastic crowds.

How'd I do?

Lillian

lish1936 wrote:Jan, I had seen the word anachronism before, but never knew its definition. Now that I know, the root word (ana) makes sense and seals the meaning for me.

Now, let me see if I can put the concept in a sentence.

The Cornwall Marching Band had broken all records for performance the year Jenny Lee joined. That was the year they were chosen to play in the July 4th parade. The celebration drew unprecedented crowds that year when it was broadcast that President George Washington and his wife, Martha, would be watching from their special observation booth. As the crowd cheered in the bleachers, from where I stood, I could see Jenny Lee beaming. She had just passed in front of President Washington's booth. When the celebration ended, The President, his wife and the entourage of Secret Servicemen jumped into limousines that stood ready to whisk them away from the enthusiastic crowds.

How'd I do?

Lillian

You've definitely written a paragraph with a glaring anachronism.

Sometimes it's a lot more subtle than that, and more often than not, it indicates a lack of research on the part of the writer. I edited a book last year (not from a FaithWriter, so she won't see this) in which a character in the 1980s used the GPS on her cellphone to find a location. That just wasn't possible back then; she was off by just a few years, but it's something that an astute reader would find jarring.