Evidence before blame
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
Soon afterward, a member wanted to denounce a newcomer for returning a borrowed tool with a visible crack in its handle. Before the group could impute the damage to him, the coordinator checked the checkout photographs and the earlier maintenance note. Those records could exonerate the newcomer because they showed the same crack before he borrowed the tool. She shared the dated evidence with the people discussing the complaint and asked them to correct the accusation they had circulated.
The coordinator did not denounce the person who had raised the concern; she explained why the available record did not support it. The evidence was sufficient to exonerate the borrower of causing that documented crack, although it said nothing about unrelated incidents. Members should not impute fault merely because someone was the most recent user or the least familiar face. The group added a condition check to future handovers so another disputed report would have a clearer starting point.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.