Question

Abashed by the harsh criticism, the mortifying writer decided to rewrite the beginning of the book.

What is the best way to revise the sentence?

change “Abashed” to “Abashing”
change “mortifying” to “mortified”
change “to rewrite” to “rewriting”
change “beginning” to “began”

Answer 1

change "mortifying" to "mortified" :)

Answer 2

Answer: change “mortifying” to “mortified.”

To "mortify" someone is to humiliate him, or to hurt his self-respect. In this case, the meaning of the sentence is not that the writer decided to "mortify" others, but that his own pride was hurt. Therefore, the correct word to use in this case, is "mortified" (to describe the state of the writer) and not "mortifying" (to describe his actions).