English word order problems

You’re about to find out the 2 typical mistakes that English learners make with word order. Click here for 3 more classic mistakes that learners make.

One of the most common mistakes I hear from my students and friends is getting the word order wrong in English.

Why is this important?

Word order is really, really important in English and sometimes can change the whole meaning of a sentence.

Here are the two most common word order mistakes I hear.

Are you making these mistakes, too?

If so, I’m going to show you how to fix them, and you can thank me. With magic cakes, please.

Word Order in English Mistake #1

A long, long time ago, I wrote a short post about how you can fix some of your most common English problems with one simple trick.

How?

Basically, we can look at sentences in colours.

So for example, you can divide the sentence “That rabbit attacks people” into three parts:

The red part is the verb and the blue parts … aren’t.

With this “blue-red-blue,” we can make a basic sentence.

But sometimes we want to add “extra information” to a sentence.

So instead of saying:

I met Charles Dickens.

You might want to add:

I met Charles Dickens in my dream last night.

The extra information (“in my dream last night”) isn’t grammatically necessary, but it might stop people from thinking you’re a bit mad.

In a lot of languages, we can just put the extra information anywhere we like.

But unfortunately, English just isn’t that free.

Usually, the most natural place to add extra information is at the end of a sentence:

And sometimes at the beginning of the sentence:

Just don’t add it here:

That’s it — just remember “blue-red-blue-black.”

Word Order in English Mistake #2

I hear this one a lot.

Especially from cat people.

To solve this, we need to go back to “blue-red-blue” (and sometimes black) thinking.

So, remember I told you that most sentences are “blue-red-blue”:

And that if we want to add extra information, it usually goes at the end:

Or at the beginning:

Well, we also have another type of extra information, which can break the “blue-red-blue” rule.

I call them “VIP adverbs” — that’s because they’re the only words that can go in the middle of “blue-red-blue.”

But what are they?

VIP adverbs are usually one-word adverbs.

They include frequency adverbs:
Sometimes, usually, never, often, seldom, etc.

They include adverbs that come from adjectives:
Quickly, deftly, sexily, etc.

They can also include time adverbs:
Suddenly, eventually, immediately, etc.

And some other types of adverbs:
Only, just, also, really, etc.

There are a few one-word adverbs that aren’t VIP adverbs. Common ones include:
Here, there, today, tomorrow, outside and maybe.
These ones usually go at the end of the sentence.

But where do VIP adverbs go exactly?

In most languages they go here:

But not in English, of course.

Because English likes to be “different” and uncooperative. Or at least it seems like that, right?

In English, they go right in the middle:

Let’s look at some examples.

With two-part verbs

The VIP adverb goes right in the middle:

So that’s why we say:

“I will always love you.” (Like in that song.)
“He’ll never know… He’ll never know! Ha ha ha ha!” (Like in this excellent episode of Black Books.)
“I’ve always been crazy.”

With one-part verbs

It gets a little tricky when we look at one-part verbs:

Where’s the auxiliary? It’s not there!

Actually, it is there. It’s just invisible:

Confused? Let’s take a step back. Click here for a quick overview of auxiliaries.

So where does the VIP adverb go?

You guessed it! Right in the middle.

With non-action verbs

What do I mean by “non-action” verbs?

Here are a few examples:

I’m very happy with your massive hat.

He was a pig, but he’s much better now.

We’re here. Where are you?

All of these sentences use the verb “be” (am, is, are, was, were) without another verb. Notice that there’s no real “action” in the sentences.

I kind of consider “be” more of a “half verb” (when it’s used this way). It doesn’t really do anything, right?

And it’s all by itself in the red there. Without any friends:

As you can see, when there’s no other verb, “be” is in the first of the two red parts.

So where does the VIP adverb go?

The same place as always — right in the middle of the “blue-red-blue.”

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So there we are — two classic mistakes that, in a way, come from the same problem.

How much do you remember? Let’s see. Can you fix these sentences?

1. I don’t know very well Manchester.
2. We went today to the big castle.
3. He was last year a doctor. Now he makes millions playing Sudoku.
4. We have also a lot of cats.
5. You never are here.
6. Your beautiful horse made suddenly a loud noise. It sounded weird.
7. Living here also will get boring.
8. Have you been ever to my father’s ice rink? You should — it’s awesome!

Answer in the comments!

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It can be easy to forget about problems in your English writing because improving your speaking and listening can feel more important. When you’re writing in English, whether you’re writing an an email, a report, or a job application, you know that you usually have more time to fix your mistakes.

So, why should you take the time to work on problems in your English writing? Because, as managers and employers will tell you, writing is probably the most important skill in the professional world.Advertisements

Think about it: How much reading do you usually do in a day? When you add up all those texts, social media posts, emails, subtitles, advertisements, product descriptions, or articles, you probably do a lot more reading than you think!

“Okay!” you might be thinking right now, “so, how can I improve my writing in English?”

Well, today, we’re going to focus on the most common problems that English learners encounter when they’re writing. Here’s what we’ll coverAdvertisements

1. Logic and organization problems in English writing

2. Grammar problems in English writing

3. Spelling and vocabulary problems in English writing

4. Word order problems in English writing

Once we go through these issues one by one, you’ll see that you can absolutely improve your writing in English if you take it slowly and practice.

So, get a pen and paper to take notes, and let’s get started!

1. Logic and organizational problems in English writing

Depending on your native language, you might have noticed that the structure of sentences in English is completely different. That maybe causing problems in your writing.

As an SVO (Subject + Verb + Object) language, English differs from many other languages. In fact, 43% of the world’s languages, including Japanese, Korean, German, and Turkish, follow the SOV order. Others follow VSO, VOS, and even OVS or OSV. 

And, while the language may not directly affect how you think, it can affect how you see the world around you. This is one reason why it’s so important to avoid translating in your head.

This is not to say that other languages aren’t logical. But most English writing is about communicating effectively and simply, so it’s good to keep this in mind if your mother tongue follows a completely different structure from English. 

Basically, when you write, ask yourself: How can I make my point clearly in English?

Organizing your sentences when writing in English

Stay away from run-on sentences

A run-on sentence is when two sentences are incorrectly combined into one sentence without the right punctuation or conjunction that you need to combine them. 

Once you understand that every sentence in English needs a subject and a verb, you’ll know how to identify a run-on sentence, such as this one:

• We met in a bar in Paris and I’ll never forget him.

We have two ideas here joined together by the word and, but because this is a compound sentence, we need a comma before and. 

Just remember this: if a sentence after a conjunction like and, but, or, or so can work as its own sentence (which means it has a subject and a verb), you’ll always need a comma before the conjunction.

And if you’ve been wondering how to use the semicolon, you can use it in place of a conjunction like or, so, and, or but.

• We met in a bar in Paris; I’ll never forget him.

Keep your verbs close to your nouns

It’s not that it’s grammatically wrong to put too many words or phrases between your nouns and verbs. But it’s hard for English speakers to read because we’re used to seeing subjects and verbs close together. Keeping your verbs close to your nouns will help you fix a common problem when writing in English.

Notice how the first sentence below is a bit more awkward:

• My mom, when she calls me, always wants to complain. 

• My mom always wants to complain when she calls me.

Avoid the passive voice if you can

It’s not the passive voice isn’t logical, but in a passive sentence, the focus is on the object, not on the subject, which can be confusing in English. 

• Every task has always been completed on time by me. (passive voice)

• I have always completed every task on time. (active voice)

Organizing your ideas in paragraphs when writing in English

This can be an issue for anyone writing in any language, and it’s one of the most common problems in English writing.

To write effectively and make yourself clear to the writer, your ideas should be logically connected. This doesn’t mean that everything has to be organized in your head! But if you’re like me, and you like to let words flow out of you, you’ll have to organize your writing in the editing process.

So how can you organized your writing in English?

Use transitional words and phrases

If you want to put your information in order of importance, use transition words like, most importantly, secondly, in addition, or ultimately.

When you’re organizing according to cause and effect, use phrases like as a result, because of this, or in order to.

If you want to follow a chronological order, especially in history or recounting events or stories, use words like initially, before, since, finally, or at the time. 

And if you’re comparing and contrasting, you can use expressions such as while, in contrast, on the other hand, or from another perspective.

English grammar is one of the most difficult things to master, especially in writing. 

And I’m specifically talking about tenses, such as past simple, present perfect, or past continuous.  Sometimes it’s hard to know when to use which ones, and sometimes we use multiple tenses in one paragraph. So, I’m going to focus on a few common tenses that can often be confusing to English learners in the process of writing.

Present simple vs. present continuous

Remember that we usually use the present simple to talk about characteristics, habits, or routines. We often use adverbs of frequency with the present simple, such as usually, often, sometimes, always, or never.

We usually use the present continuous to talk about things that are happening now (in this particular moment), and we usually use active verbs in the continuous. We can also use it to talk about things we are doing currently (in this particular period). We use time expressions like right now, at the moment, or currently. 

• I work in London (normally), but I’m working in Bangkok at the moment (in this period).

• It usually doesn’t snow here, but it’s snowing right now.

• We typically have lunch at that taco stand, but today we’re having lunch at the Japanese restaurant.

Present perfect vs. past simple

We’ve written about the present perfect vs. the past simple before on this blog because so many English learners have problems with it and because teachers and textbooks often have a difficult time making it simple.

We use the past simple to talk about finished time periods, and we use the present perfect to talk about unfinished time periods. 

Another big difference is that we often use the time expressions for and since with the present perfect, but we usually use ago with the past simple. 

That’s also why we use the present simple to talk about people who have passed away, but we use the present simple to talk about our accomplishments and life experiences because, in English, we view our life experience as part of an unfinished period of time.

• I have been to Munich before. I went in 2009.

• She was hired two years ago, so she has been our manager for two years.

There is one exception to this, though. We can use the present perfect to talk about events that have recently finished. This is because the present perfect allows us to focus more on the results of the action than on the time period:

• He has just moved here from South Africa.

• A hurricane has reached the Gulf of Mexico.

If you don’t use the present perfect to talk about recently finished events, don’t worry! Americans don’t really follow this rule, either.

3. Spelling and vocabulary problems in English writing

I’ve grouped spelling and vocabulary issues together because these two writing issues have the same solution: reading.

Well, reading and writing.

Read and take notes

Collect all the new English vocabulary words and phrases you encounter in any books, articles, social media posts, television shows, or podcasts. Write them down by hand. The act of writing them down by hand will help you memorize the words even better. 

And if you’re someone who learns from typing, try typing the word a few times when you first learn it. This will help you memorize the spelling. It works for kids, and it still works for adults!

Of course, unlike the way children learn spelling, try putting the same word in a few different sentences. The more writing you do, the better.

Learn about language roots

Many different languages have influenced the English language, but the most influential are Latin, Anglo-Saxon, and Greek. 

So, why does that matter when it comes to spelling? 

Well, have you ever seen those competitions of the young Spelling Bee champions? One of the methods that those incredibly gifted children use to spell any word is to understand how the word’s language root can affect the spelling.

I’m not saying you have to memorize long lists of complicated words that you’ll never use in conversation. Here’s what I mean:

4. Word order problems in English writing

As an English learner, have you ever struggled with how to put multiple adjectives together? How about adverb order?

Adjectives and adverbs can be problematic in English writing, so let’s talk about it!

Adjective order in English

Which of these sound correct to you: “Scary old house” or “old scary house?”

When we use multiple adjectives before a noun, they’re actually supposed to follow a specific order, which goes like this:

• opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, purpose. 

So, with this in mind, how would you put these three words together: “massive,” “wooden,” and “chair.”

Now, it’s not necessarily a mistake if you say, “wooden, massive chair.” But it does sound strange to English speakers.

Adverb order in English

Learning where to put adverbs in a sentence can be tricky because they can go at the beginning. They can go at the beginning of the sentence, as in:

• Sometimes we see him walking his dog.

Or in the middle, before the verb, as in:

• I rarely go to yoga these days.

We can also put them at the end, as in:

• Let’s meet there tomorrow.

But, if you’re ever in doubt about where to put your adverb, here are some essential things to remember:

• Always put them after a “be” verb. So, we say:

I am always on time.

I always am on time.

She was obviously angry with us.

She obviously was angry with us.

• Always put them before other kinds of verbs:

She never talks about you.

They already ate dinner.

• Always put them between the auxiliary verbs and the second part of the verb.

They have never mentioned it to me.

I can’t always tell if you’re joking.

Don’t forget to practice writing in English!

I know that it can be hard to practice your English writing on your own, but it’s an important skill and the only way to solve English writing problems. It doesn’t just benefit your English; it can benefit you personally and professionally as well.

Just start with keeping a journal in English and write five minutes a day. Just five minutes. That’s it!

And if you need ideas for things to write about, download our free worksheets and check out the writing practice section in them. Our free lessons can help you come up with lots of things to write about.

Worksheets to Improve Your English

About the Writer

Marta is an online ESL teacher who works with students from around the world. As a writer, language nerd, and content contributor for In English With Love, her mission is to empower English learners with knowledge and positivity.

Avoid mistakes using the correct worder

1. Sentences

correct word order	incorrect word order	tip
I was shopping in Leipzig.	I was in Leipzig shopping.	1
He played football yesterday.	He played yesterday football .	2
Yesterday he played football.
Dan rode his bike carefully.	Dan rode carefully his bike.	3
He often reads books.	He reads often books.	4a
He Is always late.	He always is late.	4b

tip	Be careful!	detailed explanation
1	main verb before place	Word order: subject-verb-object-place-time
2	place before expression of time	Word order: subject-verb-object-place-time
3	object before adverb of manner	Position of adverbs
4a	adverb of frequency before main verb	Position of adverbs of frequency
4b	adverb of frequency after form of to be	Position of adverbs of frequency

2. Questions

correct word order	incorrect word order	tip
Do you play football or handball?	Play you football or handball?	5
When did you see Peggy yesterday?	When did you yesterday see Peggy?	6

tip	Be careful!	detailed explanation
5	Start the question with the auxiliary do.	Questions in the Simple Present
6	Put the expression of time (yesterday) at the end of the question.	Questions in the Simple Past

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Можно ли использовать вопросительный порядок слов в утвердительных предложениях? Как построить предложение, если в нем нет подлежащего? Об этих и других нюансах читайте в нашей статье.

Прямой порядок слов в английских предложениях

Утвердительные предложения

В английском языке основной порядок слов можно описать формулой SVO: subject – verb – object (подлежащее – сказуемое – дополнение).

Mary reads many books. — Мэри читает много книг.

Подлежащее — это существительное или местоимение, которое стоит в начале предложения (кто? — Mary).

Сказуемое — это глагол, который стоит после подлежащего (что делает? — reads).

Дополнение — это существительное или местоимение, которое стоит после глагола (что? — books).

В английском отсутствуют падежи, поэтому необходимо строго соблюдать основной порядок слов, так как часто это единственное, что указывает на связь между словами.

Подлежащее	Сказуемое	Дополнение	Перевод
My mum	loves	soap operas.	Моя мама любит мыльные оперы.
Sally	found	her keys.	Салли нашла свои ключи.
I	remember	you.	Я помню тебя.

Глагол to be в утвердительных предложениях

Как правило, английское предложение не обходится без сказуемого, выраженного глаголом. Так как в русском можно построить предложение без глагола, мы часто забываем о нем в английском. Например:

Mary is a teacher. — Мэри — учительница. (Мэри является учительницей.)
I’m scared. — Мне страшно. (Я являюсь напуганной.)

Life is unfair. — Жизнь несправедлива. (Жизнь является несправедливой.)
My younger brother is ten years old. — Моему младшему брату десять лет. (Моему младшему брату есть десять лет.)

His friends are from Spain. — Его друзья из Испании. (Его друзья происходят из Испании.)
The vase is on the table. — Ваза на столе. (Ваза находится/стоит на столе.)

Подведем итог, глагол to be в переводе на русский может означать:

• быть/есть/являться;
• находиться / пребывать (в каком-то месте или состоянии);
• существовать;
• происходить (из какой-то местности).

Если вы не уверены, нужен ли to be в вашем предложении в настоящем времени, то переведите предложение в прошедшее время: я на работе — я была на работе. Если в прошедшем времени появляется глагол-связка, то и в настоящем он необходим.

Предложения с there is / there are

Когда мы хотим сказать, что что-то где-то есть или чего-то где-то нет, то нам нужно придерживаться конструкции there + to be в начале предложения.

There is grass in the yard, there is wood on the grass. — На дворе — трава, на траве — дрова.

Если в таких типах предложений мы не используем конструкцию there is / there are, то по-английски подобные предложения будут звучать менее естественно:

There are a lot of people in the room. — В комнате много людей. (естественно)
A lot of people are in the room. — Много людей находится в комнате. (менее естественно)

Обратите внимание, предложения с there is / there are, как правило, переводятся на русский с конца предложения.

Еще конструкция there is / there are нужна, чтобы соблюсти основной порядок слов — SVO (подлежащее – сказуемое – дополнение):

Подлежащее	Сказуемое	Дополнение	Перевод
There	is	too much sugar in my tea.	В моем чае слишком много сахара.

Более подробно о конструкции there is / there are можно прочитать в статье «Грамматика английского языка для начинающих, часть 3».

Местоимение it

Мы, как носители русского языка, в английских предложениях забываем не только про сказуемое, но и про подлежащее. Особенно сложно понять, как перевести на английский подобные предложения: Темнеет. Пора вставать. Приятно было пообщаться. В английском языке во всех этих предложениях должно стоять подлежащее, роль которого будет играть вводное местоимение it. Особенно важно его не забыть, если мы говорим о погоде.

It’s getting dark. — Темнеет.
It’s time to get up. — Пора вставать.
It was nice to talk to you. — Приятно было пообщаться.

Отрицательные предложения

Если предложение отрицательное, то мы ставим отрицательную частицу not после:

• вспомогательного глагола (auxiliary verb);
• модального глагола (modal verb).

Подлежащее	Вспомогательный/Модальный глагол	Частица not	Сказуемое	Дополнение	Перевод
Sally	has	not	found	her keys.	Салли не нашла свои ключи.
My mum	does	not	love	soap operas.	Моя мама не любит мыльные оперы.
He	could	not	save	his reputation.	Он не мог спасти свою репутацию
I	will	not	be	yours.	Я не буду твоей.

Если в предложении единственный глагол — to be, то ставим not после него.

Подлежащее	Глагол to be	Частица not	Дополнение	Перевод
Peter	is	not	an engineer.	Питер не инженер.
I	was	not	at work yesterday.	Я не была вчера на работе.
Her friends	were	not	polite enough.	Ее друзья были недостаточно вежливы.

Порядок слов в вопросах

Для начала скажем, что вопросы бывают двух основных типов:

• закрытые вопросы (вопросы с ответом «да/нет»);
• открытые вопросы (вопросы, на которые можно дать развернутый ответ).

Закрытые вопросы

Чтобы построить вопрос «да/нет», нужно поставить модальный или вспомогательный глагол в начало предложения. Получится следующая структура: вспомогательный/модальный глагол – подлежащее – сказуемое. Следующие примеры вам помогут понять, как утвердительное предложение преобразовать в вопросительное.

She goes to the gym on Mondays. — Она ходит в зал по понедельникам.
Does she go to the gym on Mondays? — Ходит ли она в зал по понедельникам?

He can speak English fluently. — Он умеет бегло говорить по-английски.
Can he speak English fluently? — Умеет ли он бегло говорить по-английски?

Simon has always loved Katy. — Саймон всегда любил Кэти.
Has Simon always loved Katy? — Всегда ли Саймон любил Кэти?

Обратите внимание! Если в предложении есть только глагол to be, то в Present Simple и Past Simple мы перенесем его в начало предложения.

She was at home all day yesterday. — Она была дома весь день.
Was she at home all day yesterday? — Она была дома весь день?

They’re tired. — Они устали.
Are they tired? — Они устали?

Открытые вопросы

В вопросах открытого типа порядок слов такой же, только в начало предложения необходимо добавить вопросительное слово. Тогда структура предложения будет следующая: вопросительное слово – вспомогательный/модальный глагол – подлежащее – сказуемое.

Перечислим вопросительные слова: what (что?, какой?), who (кто?), where (где?, куда?), why (почему?, зачем?), how (как?), when (когда?), which (который?), whose (чей?), whom (кого?, кому?).

He was at work on Monday. — В понедельник он весь день был на работе.
Where was he on Monday? — Где он был в понедельник?

She went to the cinema yesterday. — Она вчера ходила в кино.
Where did she go yesterday? — Куда она вчера ходила?

My father watches Netflix every day. — Мой отец каждый день смотрит Netflix.
How often does your father watch Netflix? — Как часто твой отец смотрит Netflix?

Вопросы к подлежащему

В английском есть такой тип вопросов, как вопросы к подлежащему. У них порядок слов такой же, как и в утвердительных предложениях, только в начале будет стоять вопросительное слово вместо подлежащего. Сравните:

Who do you love? — Кого ты любишь? (подлежащее you)
Who loves you? — Кто тебя любит? (подлежащее who)

Whose phone did she find two days ago? — Чей телефон она вчера нашла? (подлежащее she)
Whose phone is ringing? — Чей телефон звонит? (подлежащее whose phone)

What have you done? — Что ты наделал? (подлежащее you)
What happened? — Что случилось? (подлежащее what)

Обратите внимание! После вопросительных слов who и what необходимо использовать глагол в единственном числе.

Who lives in this mansion? — Кто живет в этом особняке?
What makes us human? — Что делает нас людьми?

Косвенные вопросы

Если вам нужно что-то узнать и вы хотите звучать более вежливо, то можете начать свой вопрос с таких фраз, как: Could you tell me… ? (Можете подсказать… ?), Can you please help… ? (Можете помочь… ?) Далее задавайте вопрос, но используйте прямой порядок слов.

Could you tell me where is the post office is? — Не могли бы вы мне подсказать, где находится почта?
Do you know what time does the store opens? — Вы знаете, во сколько открывается магазин?

Если в косвенный вопрос мы трансформируем вопрос типа «да/нет», то перед вопросительной частью нам понадобится частица «ли» — if или whether.

Do you like action films? — Тебе нравятся боевики?
I wonder if/whether you like action films. — Мне интересно узнать, нравятся ли тебе экшн-фильмы.

Другие члены предложения

Прилагательное в английском стоит перед существительным, а наречие обычно — в конце предложения.

Grace Kelly was a beautiful woman. — Грейс Келли была красивой женщиной.
Andy reads well. — Энди хорошо читает.

Обстоятельство, как правило, стоит в конце предложения. Оно отвечает на вопросы как?, где?, куда?, почему?, когда?

There was no rain last summer. — Прошлым летом не было дождя.
The town hall is in the city center. — Администрация находится в центре города.

Если в предложении несколько обстоятельств, то их надо ставить в следующем порядке:

Подлежащее + сказуемое	Обстоятельство (как?)	Обстоятельство (где?)	Обстоятельство (когда?)	Перевод
Fergie didn’t perform	very well	at the concert	two years ago.	Ферги не очень хорошо выступила на концерте два года назад.

Чтобы подчеркнуть, когда или где что-то случилось, мы можем поставить обстоятельство места или времени в начало предложения:

Last Christmas I gave you my heart. But the very next day you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I’ll give it to someone special. — Прошлым Рождеством я подарил тебе свое сердце. Но уже на следующий день ты отдала его обратно. В этом году, чтобы больше не горевать, я подарю его кому-нибудь другому.

Если вы хотите преодолеть языковой барьер и начать свободно общаться с иностранцами, записывайтесь на разговорный курс английского.

Надеемся, эта статья была вам полезной и вы разобрались, как строить предложения в английском языке. Предлагаем пройти небольшой тест для закрепления темы.

• #1

«After doing a lot of research, we read an old precious book from the 90’s in a library by which was described some herb mixtures«

Someone told me that the sentence written above has a word order problem but I don’t really understand why so I don’t know how to correct it. Can you guys please help me?

Last edited: Feb 2, 2017

• #2

The first problem is the adjective «precious» — in English, precious is not use at all in the same way as it is used in Spanish.

Second problem «old book from the 90’s». From the 90s = from between 1990 and 1999 — the book is not «old», is it?

The main problem is by which was described some herb mixtures.

1. «by which was described» is the passive and is wrong in this use. «John described the dog» <- active. «The dog was described by John.» <- passive

2. by which was described is wrong — it is simply not idiomatic — nobody would say this. «… which described.»

3. described some herb mixtures = described random mixtures associated with herbs described various mixtures of herbs.

4. «After doing a lot of research, we read an old precious a book from the 90’s in a library which described various mixtures of herbs» This is better but still not correct because

«in a library which described various mixtures of herbs» -> the library described various mixtures of herbs

which described various mixtures of herbs describes the book, so this clause must follow «a book from the 90s»

5. In a library describes where you read the book -> so «in a library» must be near the verb «to read» -> «After doing a lot of research, in a library we read a book from the 90s, which described various mixtures of herbs.» Note the commas.

6. But this is still not perfect: there are too many adjuncts in the sentence: we must change «After doing a lot of research»

«After we had done a lot of research, in a library we read a book from the 90s, which described various mixtures of herbs.»

• #3

In writing you could write in which were described some herbal mixtures.
This is a more formal way of writing.
But it would be more usual to say in which some herbal mixtures were described.

The sentence is still not very good since it might seem as if the herbs were described in the library. To fix this, I would put a comma after library.

• #4

The first problem is the adjective «precious» — in English, precious is not use at all in the same way as it is used in Spanish.

«After we had done a lot of research, in a library we read a book from the 90s, which described various mixtures of herbs.»

why is it not okay to say «we read

an old precious

book from the 90s»? — just sounds better without it?

• #5

«why is it not okay to say «we read

an old precious

book from the 90s»?

in English, precious is not use at all in the same way as it is used in Spanish.

From the 90s = from between 1990 and 1999 — the book is not «old», is it?

• #6

you’re right, it’s not that old, thanks!

• #7

That order of adjectives is not usual. It should be a ‘precious old book’. Apart from that, you need to ask in a separate thread about ‘in the 90s’ if you don’t immediately realise what is the problen with that.

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