According to the word order

§ 1. Word order
in English is of much greater importance than in Russian. Due to the
wealth of inflexions word order in Russian is rather free as the
inflexions show the function of each Word in a sentence. As English
words have hardly any inflexions and their relation to each other is
shown by their place in the sentence and not by their form, word
order in English is fixed. We cannot change the position of different
parts of the sentence at will, especially that of the subject and the
object.

To illustrate this we Shall try to change the
order of words in the following sentence.

Mrs. Winter sent the little boy with a message to
the next village one

December day. (Hardy)

If we put the direct object in the first place and
the subject in the third, the meaning of the sentence will change
altogether because the object, being placed at the head of the
sentence, becomes the subject and the subject, being placed after the
predicate, becomes the object.

The little boy sent Mrs. Winter with a message to
the next village one

December day.

In Russian such changes of word order are in most
cases possible.

Моя сестра видела замечательный фильм
в Москве.

Замечательный фильм видела моя сестра
в Москве.

So due to the absence of case distinctions word
order is practically the only means of distinguishing between the
subject and the direct object.

The above sentence may serve as an example of
direct word order in an English declarative sentence:

(1) the subject;

(2) the predicate;

(3) objects;

(4) adverbial modifiers.

§ 2. Inverted order of words.

The order of words in which the subject is placed
after the predicate is called inverted order or inversion.

Haven’t you
any family? (Du
Maurier)

§ 3. Certain types of sentences require the inverted order of words. These are:

1. Interrogative sentences. In most of them the
inversion is partial as only part of the predicate is placed before
the subject, viz. the auxiliary or modal verb.

Where did they
find her? (Du Maurier)

Can I show
you my library? (Greene)

The whole predicate is placed before the subject
when it is expressed by the verb to be
or to
have.

Is he
at home?

Have you
many friends?

N o t e. — No inversion is used when the
interrogative word is the subject of

the sentence or an attribute to the subject: Who
is in the room? Who speaks

English here? What photos are lying on the
table?

2. Sentences introduced by there.

There is nothing
marvellous in what Jam is going to
relate. (Dickens)

Into the lane where he sat there opened
three or four garden gates.

(Dickens)

3. Compound sentences, their second part beginning
with so or
neither.

“Most of these military men are good shots,”
observed Mr. Snod-grass,

calmly; “but so are
you, ain’t
you?” (Dickens)

Their parents, Mr. and Mrs. R., escaped unhurt, so
did three
of their sons.

(Daily Worker)

4. Simple exclamatory sentences expressing wish.

Be it
so!

Gentle reader, may
you never
feel what I then felt. May your
eyes never shed

such stormy, heart-wrung tears as poured from
mine. (Ch. Bronte)

§ 4. The
inverted order of words is widely used when a word or a group of
words is put in a prominent position, i. e. when it either opens the
sentence or is withdrawn to the end of the sentence so as to produce
a greater effect. So word order often becomes a means of emphasis,
thus acquiring a stylistic function.

In this case inversion is not due to the structure
of the sentence but to the author’s wish to produce a certain
stylistic effect.

1. Inversion occurs when an adverbial modifier
opens the sentence.

Here we must distinguish the following cases:

(a) Adverbial modifiers expressed by a phrase or
phrases open the sentence, and the subject often has a lengthy
modifier.

In an open barouche, the horses of which had been
taken out, stood a
stout

old gentleman in
a blue coat and bright buttons. (Dickens)

On a chair — a shiny leather chair displaying
its horsehair through a hole in

the top left hand corner — stood
a black despatch case.
(Galsworthy)

(b) An adverbial modifier with a negative meaning
opens the sentence. Here belong such adverbial modifiers as: in
vain, never, little, etc. In this case
the auxiliary do must
be used if the predicate does not contain either an auxiliary or a
modal verb.

In vain did the
eager Luffey and the enthusiastic strugglers do
all that skill

and experience could suggest. (Dickens)

Little had I
dreamed,
when I pressed my face longingly
against Miss Minns’s

low greenish window-panes, that I would so soon
have the honour to be her

guest. (Cronin)

Never before and never since, have
I known
such peace, such a sense of

tranquil happiness. (Cronin)

(c) Adverbial modifiers expressed by such adverbs
as so, thus, now, then, etc.
placed at the head of the sentence, if the subject is expressed by a
noun.

So wore the
day away.
(London)

Thus spoke Mr.
Pickwick edging himself as Hear as
possible to the

portmanteau. (Dickens)

Now was the
moment to act.

Then across the evening stillness, broke
a blood-curdling yelp,
and

Montmorency left the boat. (Jerome)

If the subject is a pronoun inversion does not
take place.

Thus he thought
and crumpled
up and sank
down upon the
wet earth.

(London)

(d) Adverbial modifiers of manner expressed by
adverbs placed at the head of the sentence, may or may not cause
inversion. In case of inversion the
auxiliary do must
be used if the predicate does not contain either an auxiliary or a
modal verb.

Silently and patiently did
the doctor bear
all this. (Dickens)

Dimly and darkly had
the sombre shadows of
a summer’s night fallen upon

all around, when they again reached Dingley Dell.
(Dickens)

B u t: And suddenly the
moon appeared,
young and tender, floating up on
her

back from behind a tree. (Galsworthy)

Speedily that worthy
gentleman appeared.
(Dickens)

(f) An adverbial modifier preceded by so
is placed at the head of the sentence.

So beautifully did
she sing
that the audience burst into
applause.

2. Inversion occurs when the emphatic particle
only, the
adverbs hardly, scarcely (correlated
with the conjunction when), the
adverb no sooner (correlated
with the conjunction than), or
the conjunction nor open
the sentence. If there is inversion the auxiliary do
must be used if the predicate does not contain either an auxiliary or
a modal verb.

Only once did he
meet his
match in tennis.

In only one respect has
there been
a decided lack of progress in
the domain

of medicine, that is in the time it takes to
become a qualified practitioner.

(Leacock)

I do not care to speak first. Nor do
I desire
to make trouble for another.

(Cronin)

No sooner had Aunt
Julie received this
emblem of departure than a change

came over her… (Galsworthy)

Scarcely iocs one
long task completed when
a guard unlocked our door.

(London)

3. Inversion occurs when the sentence begins with
the word here which
is not an adverbial modifier of place but has some demonstrative
force.

“Here is my
card, Sir,”
replied Mr. Pickwick. (Dickens)

«Вот моя визитная карточка, сэр», —
ответил мистер Пиквик.

Here comes my
brother John.

Вот идет мой брат Джон.

If the subject is expressed by a personal pronoun
the order of words is direct.

“Here he is!”
said Sam rising with great glee. (Dickens)

«Вот он!» — радостно сказал Сэм, вставая.

“Here we are!”
exclaimed that gentleman. (Dickens)

«Вот и мы!» — воскликнул этот джентльмен.

4. Inversion occurs when postpositions denoting
direction open the sentence and the subject is expressed by a noun.
Here belong such words as in, out, down,
away, up, etc. This order of words
makes the speech especially lively.

Out went Mr.
Pickwick’s head again. (Dickens)

The wind carries their voices — away
fly the sentences like
little narrow

ribbons. (Mansfield)

Suddenly in
bounced the landlady:
“There’s a
letter for you, Miss Moss.”

(Mansfield)

But if the subject is a pronoun there is no
inversion:

Down he
fell.

Her skirt flies up above her waist; she tries to
beat it down, but it is no use —

up it
flies.
(Mansfield)

5. Inversion occurs when an object or an adverbial
modifier expressed by a word-group with not
a…, or many
a… opens the sentence.

In case of inversion the auxiliary do
must be used if the predicate does not
contain either an auxiliary or a modal verb.

Not a hansom did I
meet with in
all my drive. (London)

Not a hint, however, did
she drop
about sending me to school. (Ch.
Bronte)

Many a dun had she
talked to and
turned away from
her father’s door.

(Thackeray)

Many a time had he
watched him
digging graves in the churchyard. (Dickens)

I hated that man, many and many a time had
my fingers longed
to tear him.

(Dickens)

6. Inversion often occurs when a predicative
expressed by an adjective or by a noun modified by an adjective or by
the pronoun such opens
the sentence (in case the subject is a noun or an indefinite
pronoun).

Violent was Mr.
Weller’s indignation as he was borne
along. (Dickens)

Such is life,
and we are but as grass that is cut down, and put into the oven

and baked. (Jerome)

Sweet was that
evening.
(Ch. Bronte)

Inversion is very common in clauses of concession
where the predicative is followed by the conjunction as.

Great as
was its
influence upon individual souls, it did
not seriously affect the

main current of the life either of the church or
of the nation. (Wakeman)

However, when the subject is expressed by a
personal pronoun, the link verb follows the subject.

Bright eyes they
were.
(Dickens)

A strange place it
was.
(Dickens)

Starved and tired enough he
was.
(Ch. Bronte)

Miserable as
he was
on the steamer, a new misery came
upon him. (London)

7. Inversion is also found in conditional clauses
introduced without any conjunction when the predicate is expressed by
was, were, had, could or
should.

Even were they
absolutely hers,
it would be a passing means to
enrich herself.

(Hardy)

He soon returned with food enough for half-a-dozen
people and two bottles of

wine — enough to last them for a day or more,
should any
emergency arise.

(Hardy)

Yates would have felt better, had
the gesture of
a few kind words to Thorpe

been permitted him.
(Heym)

It must be borne in mind that emphatic order does
not necessarily mean inversion; emphasis may be also achieved by the
prominent position of some part of the sentence without inversion, i.
e. without placing the predicate before the subject.¹

¹ The
prominent position of each part of the sentence will be treated in
paragraphs dealing with the place of different parts of the sentence.

Here we shall only mention a peculiar way of
making almost any part of the sentence emphatic. This is achieved by
placing it is or
it was
before the part of the sentence which is to be emphasized and a
clause introduced by the relative pronoun who
or that,
by the conjunction that
or without any connective after it.

So it’s you that
have disgraced the family. (Voynich)

It is not in Mr. Rochester he
is interested. (Ch. Bronte)

Father appreciated him. It
was on father’s suggestion that he
went to law

college. (London)

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In English, the word order is strict. That means we can’t place parts of the sentence wherever we want, but we should follow some certain rules when making sentences. These rules apply not only to formal language but also to everyday spoken English. So, we should learn and always follow them.

Direct word order and inversion

When the sentence is positive (affirmative), the word order is direct. That means the verb follows the subject.

In questions (interrogative sentences) the subject and the verb swap places. We call it indirect word order, or inversion.

If there is an auxiliary verb, its first word will precede the subject.

Direct and indirect objects

The object normally goes right after the verb. We don’t put any other words between them.

In the examples above, the object is direct. A direct object answers the question «whom» or «what» and there is no preposition after the verb. If we can’t put the object without a preposition (talk to smb, agree with smb, rely on smb), the object is indirect.

Now, if we have two objects, one is indirect and the other is direct, then the direct object has the priority to go first.

If there are two direct objects and one of them is a pronoun, the pronoun goes behind the verb.

Place and time

Expressions of time and place usually go together after the verb and the object (if there is one). We first indicate the place (where, where to) and then the time (when, how often, how long).

lt is often possible to put time at the beginning of the sentence.

Summary

Let’s briefly sum up the rules:

1. Positive sentence: subject + verb. Question sentence: verb + subject
2. Do not split the verb and the object
3. Direct objects go before the indirect objects
4. If one of two direct objects is a pronoun, it goes first
5. Place goes before time