Some neighbours noticed the noise complaint but they turned a blind eye to it.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Here is a careful breakdown of the two options in relation to the sentence provided.
Option a: 'Some neighbours noticed the noise complaint but they shut their eyes to it.' The expression 'shut their eyes to it' is a common idiom meaning deliberately ignore or pretend not to see something. While this conveys ignoring, it is slightly less natural in standard usage for this context than the more common 'turn a blind eye' or simply 'ignored it' when describing noticing and then choosing not to act. Additionally, 'shut their eyes to it' can feel a bit more dramatic or archaic in some varieties of English compared to the original phrasing. This makes it a plausible but less likely replacement.
Option b: 'Some neighbours noticed the noise complaint but they ignored it.' This option uses straightforward vocabulary and maintains the contrast between noticing and choosing not to act, which aligns closely with the intended meaning of 'turned a blind eye to it.' The verb 'ignored' directly communicates the deliberate act of not paying attention, which is the core idea here. Its simplicity and clarity often make it the preferred paraphrase in everyday usage.
In evaluating the subtle differences, option a relies on a literal variant of the idiom that may not be as universally recognized or may feel slightly less natural in some contexts, whereas option b sticks to a plain past-tense construction that clearly conveys the intended meaning without ambiguity.
Thus, option b provides a direct and conventional paraphrase of the original sentence, while option a offers a stylistic alternative that could be acceptable but is less standard in everyday usage depending on the reader's familiarity with the phrasing.

Some neighbours noticed the noise complaint but they turned a blind eye to it.

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