Direct and inverted word order

The main
function of word order is to
express grammati­cal relations and determine the grammatical
status of a word by
fixing its position in the sentence. There exist two ways of
arranging words — direct
word order
and inverted
word order.

6.2 Direct word order

The most
common pattern for the arrangement of the main parts in a declarative
sentence is
Subject — Predicate — (Object),
which is called direct
word order. Direct word order is also employed in pronominal
questions to the subject or to its attribute.

Direct word
order
allows of only few variations
in the fixed pattern, and then only for the secondary parts. Thus if
there are two objects, the indirect one precedes the direct one, or
the prepositional follows the direct one. Thus
the pattern has the following form:

The birds have come.

Ann has seen this film.

As to other
secondary parts of the sentence, such as attributes and adverbial
modifiers, their position is less fixed. Usually those words that are
closely connected tend to be placed together. Accordingly secondary
parts referring to their headwords are placed close to them, or are
incorporated into, or else frame them up. Thus attributes either
premodify or postmodify or frame up their headwords: a bright
morning, the problems involved,
the
scene familiar
to us, the happiest
man alive,
the best
skier in
the world.

Adverbials and different form
words seem to be the most movable parts in the sentence. Their
mobility is partly accounted for by their varied reference to
different parts of the sentence.

6.3 Inverted word order

Another
common pattern of word order is the inverted one (or inversion). We
distinguish full
inversion
(when the predicate precedes the subject, as in Here
comes the lady of the house)
and partial
inversion (when
only part of the predicate precedes the subject, as in Happy
may you be!).
Some grammarians also distinguish double
inversion
(when parts of the predicate are placed separately before the
subject, as in Hanging
on the wall was a picture).

In some cases inversion may be
taken as a normal order of words in constructions with special
communicative value, and is thus devoid of any special colouring. In
other cases inversion is a sort of reordering for stylistic effect or
for emphasis. First we enumerate those cases where inversion is a
normal word order.

Inversion
is used
to distinguish between the communicative types of sentences.

6.4 The emphatic and communicative functions of word order

The second
function of word order is to
make prominent or emphatic
that part of the sentence which is more important or informative in
the speaker’s opinion. These two functions (to express prominence
or information focus, and emphasis) are different in their purpose,
but in many cases they go together or overlap, and are difficult to
differentiate.

Prominence
and emphasis are achieved by placing the word
in an unusual position:
words normally placed at the beginning of the sentence (such as the
subject) are placed towards the end, whereas words usually occupying
positions closer to the end of the sentence (such as objects and
predicatives) are shifted to the beginning.

End
position is always emphatic
for the subject.
Very often this reor­dering results in the detachment of the
subject.

Must have
cost a pretty penny, this
dress of yours!

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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

Normally, sentences in the English language take a simple form. However, there are times it would be a little complex. In these cases, the basic rules for how words appear in a sentence can help you.

Word order typically refers to the way the words in a sentence are arranged. In the English language, the order of words is important if you wish to accurately and effectively communicate your thoughts and ideas.

Although there are some exceptions to these rules, this article aims to outline some basic sentence structures that can be used as templates. Also, the article provides the rules for the ordering of adverbs and adjectives in English sentences.

Basic Sentence Structure and word order rules in English

For English sentences, the simple rule of thumb is that the subject should always come before the verb followed by the object. This rule is usually referred to as the SVO word order, and then most sentences must conform to this. However, it is essential to know that this rule only applies to sentences that have a subject, verb, and object.

For example

Subject + Verb + Object

He loves food

She killed the rat

Sentences are usually made of at least one clause. A clause is a string of words with a subject(noun) and a predicate (verb). A sentence with just one clause is referred to as a simple sentence, while those with more than one clause are referred to as compound sentences, complex sentences, or compound-complex sentences.

The following is an explanation and example of the most commonly used clause patterns in the English language.

Inversion

The English word order is inverted in questions. The subject changes its place in a question. Also, English questions usually begin with a verb or a helping verb if the verb is complex.

For example

Verb + Subject + object

Can you finish the assignment?

Did you go to work?

Intransitive Verbs

Some sentences use verbs that require no object or nothing else to follow them. These verbs are generally referred to as intransitive verbs. With intransitive verbs, you can form the most basic sentences since all that is required is a subject (made of one noun) and a predicate (made of one verb).

For example

Subject + verb

John eats

Christine fights

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs are verbs that connect a subject to the quality of the subject. Sentences that use linking verbs usually contain a subject, the linking verb and a subject complement or predicate adjective in this order.

For example

Subject + verb + Subject complement/Predicate adjective

The dress was beautiful

Her voice was amazing

Transitive Verbs

Transitive verbs are verbs that tell what the subject did to something else. Sentences that use transitive verbs usually contain a subject, the transitive verb, and a direct object, usually in this order.

For example

Subject + Verb + Direct object

The father slapped his son

The teacher questioned his students

Indirect Objects

Sentences with transitive verbs can have a mixture of direct and indirect objects. Indirect objects are usually the receiver of the action or the audience of the direct object.

For example

Subject + Verb + IndirectObject + DirectObject

He gave the man a good job.

The singer gave the crowd a spectacular concert.

The order of direct and indirect objects can also be reversed. However, for the reversal of the order, there needs to be the inclusion of the preposition “to” before the indirect object. The addition of the preposition transforms the indirect object into what is called a prepositional phrase.

For example

Subject + Verb + DirectObject + Preposition + IndirectObject

He gave a lot of money to the man

The singer gave a spectacular concert to the crowd.

Adverbials

Adverbs are phrases or words that modify or qualify a verb, adjective, or other adverbs. They typically provide information on the when, where, how, and why of an action. Adverbs are usually very difficult to place as they can be in different positions in a sentence. Changing the placement of an adverb in a sentence can change the meaning or emphasis of that sentence.

Therefore, adverbials should be placed as close as possible to the things they modify, generally before the verbs.

For example

He hastily went to work.

He hurriedly ate his food.

However, if the verb is transitive, then the adverb should come after the transitive verb.

For example

John sat uncomfortably in the examination exam.

She spoke quietly in the class

The adverb of place is usually placed before the adverb of time

For example

John goes to work every morning

They arrived at school very late

The adverb of time can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence

For example

On Sunday he is traveling home

Every evening James jogs around the block

When there is more than one verb in the sentence, the adverb should be placed after the first verb.

For example

Peter will never forget his first dog

She has always loved eating rice.

Adjectives

Adjectives commonly refer to words that are used to describe someone or something. Adjectives can appear almost anywhere in the sentence.

Adjectives can sometimes appear after the verb to be

For example

He is fat

She is big

Adjectives can also appear before a noun.

For example

A big house

A fat boy

However, some sentences can contain more than one adjective to describe something or someone. These adjectives have an order in which they can appear before a now. The order is

Opinion – size – physical quality – shape – condition – age – color – pattern – origin – material – type – purpose

If more than one adjective is expected to come before a noun in a sentence, then it should follow this order. This order feels intuitive for native English speakers. However, it can be a little difficult to unpack for non-native English speakers.

For example

The ugly old woman is back

The dirty red car parked outside your house

When more than one adjective comes after a verb, it is usually connected by and

For example

The room is dark and cold

Having said that, Susan is tall and big

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