This tag is for questions about the correct order of words in a phrase, or a sentence.
1
vote
4answers
184 views
Does adverb placement affect meaning?
He swam slowly to the island.
He slowly swam to the island.
Some experts say that there is a “slight difference” in meaning.
Would you please tell me that difference?
2
votes
2answers
2k views
“They all are fine” vs. “they are all fine” [closed]
The situation is that someone asks me how my family are; I then want to answer that they all are fine.
I want to know whether the sentences "They all are fine." and "They are all fine." have the ...
1
vote
2answers
72 views
“Far enough removed” vs. “far removed enough” vs. “removed far enough”
Which of the following word orders is grammatical?
Games based on real life are sometimes not far enough removed.
Games based on real life are sometimes not far removed enough.
Games based ...
2
votes
3answers
692 views
Why does “Why doesn't it work?” become “Why does it not work?”
When you uncontract doesn't in "Why doesn't it work?" the not moves to "Why does it not work?"
This confuses me even more when I use a longer phrase instead of the pronoun it like below:
Why ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Adverbs position in English: “place–manner–time” or “manner–place–time”?
Wikipedia tells us that the order should be place–manner–time. However, this webpage tells that it should be manner–Place–Time. Which one is correct?
I have one sentence in two different orders:
...
1
vote
0answers
31 views
“in America in the 21st century” or “in the 21st century in America” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
The Royal Order of Adverbs
Which of the following sentence is correct?
– No child should grow up in poverty in America in the 21st century.
– No ...
4
votes
1answer
118 views
Placement of “off the beaten track” in context
I know that "off the beaten track" means "unusual". Can it be used before a noun and after a verb?
For example,
an off the beaten track place
This holiday is off the beaten track.
Is it ...
-1
votes
3answers
9k views
What is the correct way to mention an attachment? [closed]
Is "please find attached the report" or "please find the report attached" the right way to write when sending a document via email?
-1
votes
1answer
105 views
What qualification you are looking for? [closed]
Well this may be a very silly and obvious question but it's bothering me so I am asking it here. I am writing a letter and I asked the question
What qualification are you looking for?
However my ...
-1
votes
4answers
991 views
Put the words in the correct order to make question [closed]
I am not a native speaker.
I am doing the exercise "Put the words in the correct order to make question" from my workbook.
I have this set of words:
your / best / see / did / friend / when / ...
1
vote
2answers
272 views
Position of verb for object clause
Is the general word order of this sentence correct?
We investigate how strong the effect of X on Y is.
Or, as an alternative,
We investigate how strong the effect of X is on Y.
In a ...
1
vote
2answers
152 views
“Time elapsed” or “elapsed time” [closed]
In a document I have a plot where one of the labels represents the total time taken for the process to complete. Should I label it as "Elapsed Time" or "Time Elapsed"? Which one is correct?
2
votes
1answer
452 views
Adverb position in perfect tenses [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Are there any rules on the positioning adverbs should take in a sentence?
My question concerns the adverb position in perfect tenses. For example look at these ...
2
votes
2answers
66 views
A suggestion for a change by reviewers
One of the suggestions that I got in my paper review is just indicated as a mistake in
There is, however, no proven criterion when to stop.
What is wrong with the above sentence. Word ordering? ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
The Royal Order of Adverbs
I know that the pattern manner-place-time shouldn't be taken too seriously if one wants to speak natural English.
In real life, people rarely use a string of adverbs. Speakers will easily break the ...
-5
votes
1answer
161 views
what is the difference between “ forever and always” and “ always and forever”? [closed]
Is there actually a difference?
like, I will love you forever and I'll always be there?
and I'll always be there and love you for eternity?
1
vote
0answers
26 views
What is the correct “noun-verb” order when preceded by “only when”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Sentences using: [something] + have + they
Inversion in “Only when the virus introduces its nucleic acid into a cell does disease occur”
In a sentence like this:
...
13
votes
3answers
497 views
Difference between styles of English in technical communication
I have a collaborative software project with two other users. Nearly every technical report and documentation written goes through the following editorial changes to some of the sentences (examples ...
16
votes
2answers
863 views
White-orange or orange-white? Which color comes first?
When referring to something, (electrical wires, in my case) and it is half white and half other color, do you put White or the other color first?
I want to describe the color of these wires as ONE ...
5
votes
2answers
152 views
Is this correct: “Aloof the hallow things shall always be”?
I'm writing a poem, and I wondered if, to a native speaker, this would sound awkward (or grammatically incorrect):
Aloof the hallow things shall always be.
As a variant of
The hallow things ...
1
vote
3answers
101 views
Does “allegedly made a drug that does X” or “made a drug that allegedly does X” sound better? [closed]
As an engineering-type fellow, I was thinking about this article about a drug that replaces sleep.
It occurred to me that I could frame it in two ways:
Scientists allegedly created a drug that ...
1
vote
3answers
181 views
“If only I” or “If I only” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Correct position of “only”
Should I use only before or after the pronoun?
If only I had a chance
If I only had a chance
Both sentences bring a lot ...
0
votes
1answer
861 views
Do the adjectives always precedes the noun or pronoun? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why do some adjectives follow the nouns they modify?
Attributive and predicative position of an adjective
“A place nearby” but not “A place good”
...
2
votes
3answers
222 views
“…and me” or “me and…” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Me and my wife” or “my wife and me”
I keep seeing that it's just courtesy to put yourself last in a list of nouns. eg. "They went to the game ...
14
votes
3answers
630 views
“You just can't” vs. “you can't just ”
I'm a bit confused about this. Which expression is correct?
You can't just do that.
or
You just can't do that.
I'm trying to say:
You can't just bash an ideology because of what ...
2
votes
1answer
565 views
Word order in defining and non-defining relative clauses
With defining relative clauses, there is a different word order according to the status of the relative pronoun in the sentence (that is, it can be either the subject or the object of the relative ...
4
votes
3answers
328 views
“An abandoned cute little kitten” or “a cute abandoned little kitten” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the rule for adjective order?
I saw an abandoned cute little kitten.
I saw a cute abandoned little kitten.
Which sentence is correct? What is the ...
11
votes
2answers
212 views
“A place nearby” but not “A place good”
I can ask any of:
Do you know a breakfast place nearby?
Do you know a nearby breakfast place?
Do you know a good breakfast place?
but I really can't ask:
Do you know a breakfast place ...
7
votes
2answers
247 views
“put X down to” vs. “put down X to”: subjects of verbs with two particles
I expect I would have to put down many coats to do the job. (SOURCE)
One factor to distinguish phrasal verbs from prepositional verbs is particle movement. Phrasal verbs can place the particle ...
2
votes
2answers
176 views
Not always + inversion? [closed]
My neighbour's little son (they are from UK) asked me for something, saying that he wants it and hence he will get.
I realized I do not know how to say that correctly (for the first one I used ...
4
votes
3answers
136 views
Which is correct: “first ever loss” or “first loss ever”
Consider the following two phrases
Microsoft reports first quarterly loss ever
Microsoft reports first ever quarterly loss
Which of the them is correct?
1
vote
1answer
133 views
Definite article usage and word ordering in 'all the equipment necessary to create a network'
I have a sentence where I am not sure about the word order, and if the definite article should be used or not.
Which version is correct:
It is a system which includes all equipment necessary to ...
8
votes
2answers
271 views
Why “buy things secondhand,“ not “buy secondhand things”?
I saw the word ‘secondhand’ come after ‘things’ in the lead copy of July 17 Time magazine’s article, titled “10 Things You Should Be Buying Used”, as follows.
Buying things secondhand can save a ...
5
votes
1answer
132 views
Placement of “just” in “we just need minified and concatenated files” [closed]
I was talking to my client. I wanted to convey that "we need the minified type of files and the concatenated type of files; nothing other than that". I quickly wrote this:
we just need minified ...
5
votes
2answers
738 views
“Above”/“below” before/after a noun
I have seen sentences similar to the following:
(1) See the reference above.
(2) See the reference below.
And,
(3) See the above reference.
But not,
(4) See the below reference.
...
-1
votes
1answer
382 views
How to create a questions from past modal verb sentences
I have no idea why my question was closed as it was pretty clear (at least for a person of average intelligence) so I am trying again:
There is a sentence, e.g:
He could have seen that.
Will the ...
1
vote
4answers
181 views
“Can take no other” vs. “can't take other”
As an ESL I'm not sure if I can use the following sentences:
You can take no other directions.
I'm using it on giving indications to a foreigner.
Should I use instead:
You can't take other ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
Position of prepositions in questions and clauses
I would like to know if there is any rule to know where prepositions should be placed in questions or clauses.
For example, I have heard many sentences and some of them put the preposition in the ...
2
votes
6answers
334 views
“Sure I am not” — is that valid English?
Consider this conversation:
— Iceland has more than 200 rainy days per year.
— Are you sure?
— No, I am not sure.
Is it valid or wrong English to say,
— No, sure I am not.
...in the ...
2
votes
3answers
170 views
Loathe. The atypical use of the verb [closed]
I have a quick question about the atypical grammar of mine. I am a poet using iambic pentameter. The question is whether the following is grammatically correct:
I she loathes.
That I loathe.
...
5
votes
2answers
151 views
“Imperial Japanese Navy” or “Japanese Imperial Navy”?
Is it "Imperial Japanese Navy" or "Japanese Imperial Navy", and why?
5
votes
2answers
266 views
Inverted adjective in “in matters political”
In in matters political, one can notice the inversion of the standard adjective-noun order. Here's an example in context:
political obligation is only one consideration among many in a
...
6
votes
3answers
531 views
When to put “River” before or after its name and why?
Unlike mountain names, where "Mount" always precedes its name, e.g. Mount Everest, I've noticed that some rivers have "River" before its name, e.g. the River Nile but others have it after, e.g. the ...
17
votes
2answers
709 views
What is wrong with “Where should this car be parked?”?
Why does Microsoft Word 2010 show an error for the following sentence?
1. Where should this car be parked?
Word 2010 also suggests changing the sentence to
2. Where this car should ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views
Position of 'also'
What is the correct position of the word 'also'?
I would like to also talk about ...
I would also like to talk about ...
0
votes
1answer
689 views
If “latter” comes first, and “former” comes second, what comes third? Or fourth? [closed]
If we had an hour long discussion, and discussed 5 topics: A, B, C, D and E in order, to the extent that we are talking about "E" right now, if "D" is the latter, and "C" is the former, what is "B" to ...
1
vote
0answers
16 views
Word order in subject sentences (questions) [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Usage of “What” + verb without auxiliary one
I have probably not used the correct term but I am sure you will get it.
If a question has do-support, then in ...
5
votes
4answers
325 views
Referring to previous words
I'm facing a difficulty about referring to previously mentioned words. It's something that bothers me a lot about the English language. Please consider
Mathematicians can use these theorems to ...
0
votes
2answers
1k views
Why do we use the word “Do” when connecting a sentence? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Sentences using: [something] + have + they
Use of “do” in affirmative statements
I was reading a news paper article of Times Of India, and came across a sentence-
...
0
votes
1answer
154 views
provide for - sentence
I have found this in the dictionary but not sure whether I can separate these (from the examples on the internet, I think I cannot):
I will provide for him.
I will provide him for ?? cannot be?
...
