Question

Now the dreadful winter was come upon them. In the forests, all summer long, the branches of the trees do battle for light, and some of them lose and die; and then come the raging blasts, and the storms of snow and hail, and strew the ground with these weaker branches. Just so it was in Packingtown; the whole district braced itself for the struggle that was an agony, and those whose time was come died off in hordes. All the year round they had been serving as cogs in the great packing machine; and now was the time for the renovating of it, and the replacing of damaged parts. There came pneumon

Answer 1

great...................good writer

Answer 2

*trees battle for light [you don't *do* battle, it can be used as a verb.]
*died in hoards [don't use off]
*renovating it OR the renovation of it.
I really like the description! :)