Questions tagged [word-order]
This tag is for questions about the correct order of words in a phrase or a sentence, or how changing the order affects the meaning.
1,250
questions
5
votes
1
answer
57
views
Where should I put “not” in the sentence 'The person admits to ___ having ___ read the book'?
I have three forms that I can think of for this sentence:
The person admits to not having read the book.
The person admits to having not read the book.
The person admits not to have read the book.
...
- 153
14
votes
5
answers
4k
views
"Is he not the carpenter's son?" v.s. "Is not he the carpenter's son?"
I've heard this from a priest's homily, "Is he not the carpenter's son?"—taken from Mt. 13: 55-56 (King James Version).
I got confused whether the priest read the passage the wrong way—I was ...
- 329
0
votes
1
answer
32
views
Is it correct to say "I signed my daughter up for first grade"?
In Oxford dictionary, we have this
sign up (for something)
to arrange to do a course of study by adding your name to the list of
people doing it
You can sign up online for language classes.
Say, my ...
- 24.4k
1
vote
1
answer
37
views
Where to add the adjective, before or after the noun?
We usually put the adjective before the noun, as in "a big apple". How about this case?
I ate a bigger apple than Tom's.
I ate an apple bigger than Tom's.
Are they both grammatically ...
- 1,488
1
vote
1
answer
24
views
Can prepositional phrases of adjectives move in front of clauses?
For example,
I'm very angry at him.
Can it be "at him, I'm very angry" or "at whom are you angry"?
I'm responsible for my family.
Can it be "for my family, I'm responsible&...
- 109
0
votes
2
answers
29
views
What is the sentence pattern and the grammatical lable for each of the word
What is the sentence pattern of the below given sentence and grammatical lable for each of the word . "Sanskrit is the oldest language." Sanskrit is the subject, 'is' verb ,what can be the ...
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Isn't there a preposition ("to") missing after "IP addresses that devices are allocated"?
I was looking through the bregman-arie/devops-exercises repository on GitHub when I saw this question:
What is APIPA?
...with this answer:
APIPA is a set of IP addresses that devices are allocated ...
0
votes
1
answer
81
views
Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep
Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep.
It's quoted from 'Harry Potter' Book 1.
What's the subject of "was" and the complement of "was"?
Is it an inversion of "a ...
user183853
1
vote
1
answer
60
views
It was Terry who hit on this idea, not me. / It was Terry, not me, who hit on this idea
(1) It was Terry who hit on this idea, not me.
(2) It was Terry, not me, who hit on this idea.
Is it possible to rephrase (1) as (2)?
(1) is quoted from a grammar book for Japanese high school ...
- 897
-1
votes
4
answers
91
views
End-weight how I interpret
As you know, I played soccer instead on Monday. and I played soccer on Monday instead. mean the same.
if end-weight is applied, should I interpret reversely? For example, can I played soccer twice on ...
user183211
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
"Both the local authority and <myself> <me> <I> have gone to the minister." — Do all these pronouns work here?
I'd like to know what pronouns I can use inside the construction "both ... and ..." when it's used as a subject.
For this purpose, I have the following example:
the textbook "the ...
- 4,951
0
votes
1
answer
44
views
Is the phrase "alone work" legitimate?
For the purpose of a cover letter, would it be legitimate to use the phrase "alone work" to describe your past professional activities that were conducted individually? Is it grammatically ...
- 117
0
votes
1
answer
54
views
Positions of an adverb "quickly"
My question has occured after I read this question "Confusion over the position of an adverb."
Ian R answers
(1) I can run quickly to the store , and
(2) I can quickly run to the store !
...
- 578
1
vote
1
answer
45
views
end-weight principle
a) To check / b) checking the weather before you go outside in this country is important.
[told to a tourist]
How normal is this sentence to you -- slightly unidiomatic or very much so?
I'm asking ...
- 591
1
vote
2
answers
98
views
Syntax question. Why does this sentence sound awkward when I move the adverbial phrase?
Correct sentence: The dog roams the streets every day.
Incorrect sentence: The dog roams every day the streets.
Every day is an adverbial phrase that means "each day."
I know the second ...
- 23