III.   Alternative Expressions
 
A.   The sentence was modified from “streaming” to “trickle” because “streaming into” is synonymous with “flooding in” and is therefore does not show a dramatic increase. Example: The barbarian hordes streamed across the borders bringing the entire land under their rule. The common expression is to begin with a “trickle” which turns into a “flood” as in the modified sentence above. Another alternative expression includes “pouring in and sweeping away” – Example: The pocket calculators poured into the high school classrooms and swept away the abacus.
 
B.   Generally, American English prefers to use euphemisms for “unpleasant” conditions like “old age.” In this case, the word was also changed because “elderly” includes both men and women. In addition to the “elderly,” standard euphemisms for “old people” are:
(i)   “senior citizens” – Example: Senior citizens comprise 60% of the population
(ii)   “those in their golden years” – Example: To my surprise the dance hall was filled with folks in their golden years but they danced as well and I.
 
C.   “boom" in sales here means a great increase in the number of TV’s sold. Other expressions to indicate dramatic increases in sales are:
(i)   “take off” – Example: Sales of ice cream really took off that hot summer.
(ii)  “go through the roof” – Example: After Marilyn died, the sales of her movies went through the roof.
(iii) “sales skyrocketed” – Example: The sales of NBA T-shirts skyrocketed when our team won the playoffs.
 
D.   To make something antiquated means to make it out of date and not current or even to make it useless. Other expressions that indicate the effect that TV had on the newspapers might be:
(i)    “to render obsolete” – Example: For some people, the TV has made the radio obsolete.
(ii)   “to make superfluous” – Example: The TV seems to be making the daily newspaper superfluous.