This tag is for questions about the correct order of words in a phrase, or a sentence.
61
votes
12answers
5k views
When is it appropriate to end a sentence in a preposition?
Like many others, I commonly find myself ending a sentence with a preposition. Yes, it makes me cringe. I usually rewrite the sentence, but sometimes (in emails) I just live with it. To, with... ...
18
votes
5answers
12k views
“My friends and I” vs. “My friends and me” vs. “Me and my friends”
I've always been taught to put myself last when referring to myself in the same sentence as others but the usage of "me and..." seems to be everywhere these days. The misuse of the word "me" instead ...
124
votes
3answers
36k views
What is the rule for adjective order?
I remember being taught that the correct order of adjectives in English was something along the lines of "Opinion-Size-Age-Color-Material-Purpose."
However, it's been a long time and I'm pretty sure ...
14
votes
3answers
1k views
Are split infinitives grammatically incorrect, or are they valid constructs?
Mark's generosity in this crisis seems to more than make up for his earlier stinginess.
Should those sentences always be avoided, or are there cases where they are valid?
13
votes
4answers
4k views
Order of “not” with infinitive
This is one thing that keeps bugging me, and maybe there's a direct answer.
Grammatically, which one is more correct of these two? Does it make a difference?
I tried not to do that.
I tried ...
18
votes
4answers
2k views
Correct position of “only”
Which is grammatically correct?
I can only do so much in this time.
or
I can do only so much in this time.
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 ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
Why is “xxxx doth not a yyyy make” considered valid English?
Reading doth not a writer make.
This sounds all wrong so why it is acceptable to use?
The word order looks to be all out sequence (Object-Subject-Verb).
It should be "reading does not make you a ...
5
votes
4answers
6k views
Should an adverb go before or after a verb?
For example:
The word rarely turns up outside of those contexts.
The word turns up rarely outside of those contexts.
Which one is correct and why?
7
votes
3answers
504 views
Is there a name for inverting word order to accomplish a different meaning?
There are many sayings that invert the word order to convey a different meaning.
e.g.
"Do you live to work or do you work to live?"
"He who fails to plan, plans to fail"
Is there a name for this ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Why do some adjectives follow the nouns they modify?
Right now I can only think of one instance in which this regularly occurs. The adjective proper is sometimes placed after the noun it modifies, e.g:
Reptilia: A class of cold-blooded oviparous or ...
5
votes
3answers
810 views
Changing subject and verb positions in statements and questions
We always change subject and verb positions in whenever we want to ask a question such as "What is your name?". But when it comes to statements like the following, which form is correct?
I ...
4
votes
2answers
339 views
Are there any rules on the positioning adverbs should take in a sentence?
For example:
Ever wish you could share information broadly
Could it be rewrite to:
Ever wish you could broadly share information
Are there any rules for the position of the adverbs.
11
votes
4answers
8k views
Which is correct: “the below information” or “the information below”?
I frequently see statements that refer to something later in the text that use a phrase such as "the below information". Is it more correct instead to say "the information below" (or "the following ...
12
votes
5answers
592 views
Is “The City Beautiful” (Orlando's motto) grammatically correct?
I have always wondered why the motto of the City of Orlando, FL (USA) is worded as The City Beautiful instead of The Beautiful City:
Is The City Beautiful grammatically correct? If so, do you have ...
7
votes
2answers
293 views
When can an adjective be postposed?
I read this at the economist, and it's the 2nd sentence in the 2nd paragraph.
That is small consolation for an Israeli establishment still hankering after the much easier rapport it had with ...
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 ...
3
votes
2answers
381 views
“Does not make changes” or “makes no changes”
I was thinking of using this sentence on my computer program:
This action does not make changes on user's machine.
Just to be sure, I checked Google Translate which suggested:
This action ...
5
votes
2answers
844 views
Position of the adverb “of course”
...which is of course zero.
...which of course is zero.
Which one is preferred?
5
votes
1answer
4k views
What is the correct word order between “have/had”, “been”, and “already” in statements?
What is the correct word order between have/had, been, and already in statements like the following:
By the time the product was officially announced, I had already been using it.
Or:
By the ...
5
votes
2answers
796 views
Tag Questions “is he not”
"He is happy, isn't he?"
If you did not use the contraction isn't he, in the question above, would the correct sentence be:
"He is happy, is he not?"
"He is happy, is not he?"
Sentence #1 seems ...
4
votes
1answer
448 views
Conditional sentences not starting with “if”
Were I rich, I would live on Long Island.
If I were rich, I would live on Long Island.
Is the first sentence still used, or is used in particular contexts (in example, to give emphasis to the ...
11
votes
4answers
3k views
“All is not lost” vs “Not all is lost”
I guess I've been in mathematics for far too long, and I tend to use the phrase "Not all is lost" as the negative of "All is lost".
To me the phrase "All is not lost" suggests that nothing is lost. ...
15
votes
3answers
421 views
You don't want to answer this word-placement question, now do you?
Prompted by this question I got to thinking about the placement of the word now.
If it's placed before the comma, it refers to an immediate condition:
You don't want to answer this word-placement ...
5
votes
2answers
234 views
In which case are items written in a different order than they are read aloud?
When talking about money, people often write "$1", but read this as "one dollar", rather than "dollar one". (Same with "£1" and "one pound"). Are there any other situations, besides currency, in which ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Prepositions at the end of sentence and whom
I believe it's okay to end a sentence with a preposition. That seems to be the consensus here as well.
Now I think that when who is the object of a preposition, it should technically be whom, e.g. ...
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 ...
5
votes
2answers
734 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.
...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
How to properly write sentence with double words
I commonly come across sentences where I have to write the same word twice such as,
This is what I've been looking for for a long time.
and in these cases I just try to rewrite the sentence to ...
3
votes
3answers
408 views
About using “only” with present perfect
I have seen this sentence in a status from one of my facebook friends. It doesn't sound right to me.
We have only left the city for the day.
I think that it should be something like:
We have ...
2
votes
1answer
345 views
Proper usage/origin of the generic phrase “[action phrase] does not a [noun] make” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why is “xxxx doth not a yyyy make” considered valid English?
I occasionally come across a sentence formulated in a manner similar to the following:
...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
Usage of “just”, “only” and word-order [intended meaning]
I've got these sentences, which meanings are correct (my interpretations are in brackets):
Use of only:
(1) Only in 1996, Ford sold a rebadged Mazda 626 GV over here as its rebranded Japanese ...
2
votes
1answer
929 views
Use of “only” and word-order
I'm writing an automobile website and some of my paragraphs contain the word "only".
I understand the following. As far as I'm aware, this is right:
Only the Volkswagen Polo, Golf, Passat, Passat ...
1
vote
1answer
445 views
Position of “of which” in the sentence [closed]
In a post here I found that both following sentences are correct..is that true? Is the first one really grammatically correct?
A camera of which the wires go through the wall.
A camera, the ...
0
votes
2answers
226 views
“Where am I?” vs. “Where I am?” [closed]
Which is more correct to say in a question? (For example a guy that wakes up in a train)
"Where am I?"
or
"Where I am?"
0
votes
1answer
305 views
“have basically been doing something” or “have been basically doing something” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Position of the adverb “of course”
Should an adverb go before or after a verb?
I was wondering what position of an adverb relative to more than one ...
0
votes
1answer
315 views
“Data source types” vs. “types of data sources”
Is there any difference in meaning between "Many different data source types" and "Many different types of data sources"?
I have no strong understanding on the use of "of".
17
votes
5answers
908 views
When can the -ing form of a verb be placed before a noun?
My native-speaker's grammatical intuition tells me that:
There is a sleeping man under the tree.
is fine but
There is a fishing man by the river bank.
is wrong. Why?
I've thought about ...
17
votes
6answers
8k views
Why do you say “so do I”?
Why is the order of the words in "so do I" or "nor do I" different from the normal order?
9
votes
4answers
7k views
“Can easily be” vs. “can be easily” — what's the difference?
I'm wondering what the difference is between:
It can easily be obtained.
It can be easily obtained.
Also, what's the preferred way to write it? If there is any...
I googled for both ...
21
votes
7answers
3k views
Is it acceptable to start a sentence with “however”?
I have heard that starting a sentence with however is wrong. What are the grounds for this view and is it still held by a majority of pedants?
They would suggest changing
However, some people are ...
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 ...
13
votes
2answers
481 views
“Who turned off the lights?”
Who turned off the lights?
Who are you?
Why do the words in those questions have a different order than the following questions?
Does she like ice cream?
Where do you live?
Where do you ...
8
votes
4answers
591 views
“Why is this not” versus “why is not this”
Should I use "why is this not" or "why is not this?"
Or are both correct?
7
votes
3answers
3k views
Is it incorrect to say, 'Give me it'?
Is it incorrect to say, 'Give me it' ? I am told that it is and one should always say, 'Give it me'?
1
vote
3answers
166 views
Do these adjectives refer to ice?
In this sentence from Wuthering Heights
I declined joining their breakfast, and, at the first gleam of dawn,
took an opportunity of escaping into the free air, now clear, and
still, and cold ...
21
votes
8answers
19k views
Distinction: “What can I do you for?” vs. “What can I do for you?”
Usually, when being served the phrase "What can I do for you?" is used but sometimes I also hear "What can I do you for?" in quite the same context. So is there a difference or is it just a slip of ...
7
votes
3answers
263 views
Word order, e.g. in “Hotel California”, “Brothers Quay”
This is a question about the order of words when a common name is associated to a proper name. Does it matter to say "California Hotel" rather than "Hotel California"? Similarly, there are two ...
6
votes
2answers
496 views
“Now I am” vs. “I am now”
Which is more correct?
Now I am the main stakeholder...
or
I am now the main stakeholder...
Do the intonations imply different meanings?
5
votes
3answers
3k views
Place of “often” in the sentence
My question is simple. Is the following sentence correct?
They don't watch TV often.
My English teacher has told me that the only correct option is:
They don't often watch TV.
Is she ...
