Expressions with word order

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

Statements, or declarative sentences, can be in the form of simple, compound, or complex sentences.

This article describes standard word order in simple declarative sentences. Word order in compound sentences and complex sentences is described in Basic Word Order and Word Order in Complex Sentences in the section Grammar. Examples comparing standard word order and inverted word order can be found in Inversion in the section Miscellany.

Statements in the form of simple sentences are divided into unextended sentences and extended sentences. There are five parts of a sentence: the subject, the predicate, the object, the attribute, the adverbial modifier. The rules of word order indicate where their place in the sentence is.

Word order in simple unextended sentences

Standard word order in simple unextended declarative sentences is SUBJECT + PREDICATE.

Anna teaches.

Time flies.

We are reading.

He will understand.

Word order in simple extended sentences

Standard word order in simple extended declarative sentences is SUBJECT + PREDICATE + object + adverbial modifier.

Anna teaches mathematics.

Tom has returned my books.

We are reading a story now.

He will understand it later.

Adverbial modifiers are normally placed at the end of the sentence after the object (or after the verb, if there is no object). Attributes (adjectives, numerals, pronouns) usually stand before their nouns, and attributes in the form of nouns with prepositions are placed after their nouns.

Anna has classes on the second floor.

Tom has worked here for ten years.

He wrote two interesting articles about football.

The place of the subject

The subject is placed at the beginning of the sentence and is usually expressed by a noun or a pronoun. The subject group may include an article and an attribute.

Monkeys like bananas.

He writes short stories.

That student is from Rome.

Tom and Anna live in Boston.

His little son is learning to read.

The subject is placed after the verb in the structure «there is, there are» which is used when you want to say WHAT is in some place.

There is a table in the room.

There are two books on the table.

There was a car in front of the house.

The place of the predicate

The predicate stands after the subject and is usually represented by a main verb or by the combination of an auxiliary or modal verb with a main verb. Negative forms of auxiliary verbs can be full or contracted.

She likes chocolate.

I work at a small hotel.

The children are reading and writing new words.

She does not know him.

He hasn’t bought a car yet.

You shouldn’t do it.

We are not going to buy a new house this summer.

The verb «be» as a linking verb may be followed by a noun, an adjective, a numeral, or a pronoun as part of the predicate. (The use of the verb «be» is described in The Verb BE in the section Grammar.)

I am a teacher.

Tom is young.

The tea is too hot.

She was twenty.

He isn’t a doctor.

This isn’t she.

The place of the object

There are direct objects (without a preposition) and indirect objects (with or without a preposition). The object is placed after the main verb. If there are two objects after the verb, the word order is first the direct object, then the object with preposition.

Tom collects stamps.

He likes reading.

He likes to read.

He is waiting for a bus.

She gave two books to her brother.

Liz asked the boy about his father.

She made soup, salad, and roast beef for dinner.

Some transitive verbs (for example, bring, give, offer, sell, send, show, tell) are often followed by two objects without prepositions. In this case, the order after the verb is first the indirect object (without a preposition), then the direct object. Examples:

She gave him two books.

They offered me a good job.

He sent her a present.

The teacher told the students a story.

The place of the attribute

Attributes expressed by adjectives (or by pronouns, participles, numerals, nouns in the possessive case) usually stand before their nouns, i.e., before the noun in the subject, in the object, or in the adverbial modifier. Examples:

A good writer should know many things.

My old dog liked fresh apples.

We threw out several broken chairs.

Four students passed that difficult test.

The doctor’s new house is near a large park.

If there are several adjectives before a noun, a more specific adjective is placed closer to its noun than a more general adjective.

She bought a green sweater.

She bought a nice green woolen sweater.

Chicago is a big city.

Chicago is a beautiful big clean city.

My daughter likes soft blue, gray, and green colors.

My daughter likes soft gray, green, and blue colors.

Attributes in the form of a noun with a preposition or structures with participles are placed after the noun that they modify.

She bought a silk blouse with long sleeves.

Chicago is a big city in the Midwest.

I took the bus going through Springfield.

The waiter threw out the chairs broken in yesterday’s fight.

The place of the adverbial modifier

Adverbial modifiers of place, time, frequency, manner are often expressed by adverbs or by nouns with prepositions and are placed at the end of the sentence after the main verb or after the object if there is an object.

Adverbial modifiers of place

They live on Main Street.

The bedrooms are upstairs.

I went across the bridge.

She has to go to the bank.

They spent their vacation at the lake.

Adverbial modifiers of time

I’m going to see him tomorrow.

I spoke to him an hour ago.

He saw her before leaving.

I went to work after class.

She was sick yesterday.

The meeting was at ten o’clock last Friday.

Adverbial modifiers of frequency

She visits them sometimes.

They go to concerts often.

He calls her every day.

He writes to her regularly.

She goes shopping once or twice a week.

Adverbial modifiers of manner

He drives very fast.

He closed the door slowly.

He ate the food hungrily.

We came here by train.

He opened the door with a key.

Peculiarities of the position of adverbial modifiers

Adverbial modifiers consisting of two or more words are placed at the end of the sentence after the main verb (or after the object, if any). Possible positions of adverbial modifiers of time and frequency consisting of one word are described below.

One-word adverbs of frequency

One-word adverbs of frequency «often, frequently, rarely, regularly, sometimes» are often placed between the subject and the main verb in the simple tenses but may also be placed after the main verb (or after the object, if any).

He often goes to the park.

He goes to the park often.

We rarely buy food in that store.

He frequently visited them last year.

He visited them frequently last year.

Adverbs of frequency «usually, always, never, seldom» are placed between the subject and the main verb in the simple tenses but are usually placed after the verb «be».

They seldom talk about it.

She usually buys bread, cheese, and milk in this grocery store.

He always asks me this question.

He is always late.

He is never home before seven.

One-word adverbs of time

One-word adverbs of time «already, just, never, ever» are placed between the two parts of the predicate in the perfect tenses, though «already» can also stand after the main verb.

She has already left.

She has left already.

She has just called me.

I have never been to Mexico.

Have you ever seen this film?

They had already left for London by the time he arrived in Paris.

If there are two auxiliary verbs in a tense form, the adverb is usually placed after the first auxiliary verb. «Already» may also stand after the second auxiliary verb, for example, in the Future Perfect.

He has never been asked such questions.

He may already have called them.

His plane will already have landed by the time we get to the airport.

He will have already left for London by Friday.

Some one-word adverbs of time or frequency, for example, «today, tomorrow, yesterday, sometimes, usually», are sometimes placed at the beginning of the sentence before the subject (usually for emphasis).

Yesterday I talked to Jim.

Tomorrow we are leaving.

Suddenly the rain started.

Sometimes she stays at this hotel for a few days.

Usually, she has a cheese sandwich in the morning, but today she is eating scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Two-word adverbial modifiers

Two-word adverbs and adverbial modifiers with prepositions are placed at the end of the sentence after the verb (or after the object, if any). If there are several adverbial modifiers, the adverbial modifier of place is usually placed before the adverbial modifier of time.

They stayed in his house for about an hour.

Professor Benson usually has two classes at the university every day.

My new neighbors often read a good book in their garden after breakfast.

He arrived in Vienna by train at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Порядок слов в повествовательных предложениях

Повествовательные предложения могут быть в виде простых, сложносочиненных или сложноподчиненных предложений.

Эта статья описывает стандартный порядок слов в простых повествовательных предложениях. Порядок слов в сложносочиненных и сложноподчиненных предложениях описан в статьях «Basic Word Order» и «Word Order in Complex Sentences» в разделе Grammar. Примеры, сравнивающие стандартный и обратный порядок слов, можно найти в статье «Inversion» в разделе Miscellany.

Простые повествовательные предложения делятся на нераспространенные предложения и распространенные предложения. Есть пять членов предложения: подлежащее, сказуемое, дополнение, определение, обстоятельство. Правила порядка слов указывают, где их место в предложении.

Порядок слов в простых нераспространенных предложениях

Стандартный порядок слов в простых нераспространенных повествовательных предложениях: подлежащее + сказуемое.

Анна преподает.

Время летит.

Мы читаем.

Он поймет.

Порядок слов в простых распространенных предложениях

Стандартный порядок слов в простых распространенных повествовательных предложениях: подлежащее + сказуемое + дополнение + обстоятельство.

Анна преподает математику.

Том вернул мои книги.

Мы читаем рассказ сейчас.

Он поймет это позже.

Обстоятельства обычно ставятся в конце предложения после дополнения (или после глагола, если дополнения нет). Определения (прилагательные, числительные, местоимения) обычно стоят перед своими существительными, а определения в форме существительных с предлогами ставятся после своих существительных.

У Анны занятия на втором этаже.

Том проработал здесь десять лет.

Он написал две интересные статьи о футболе.

Место подлежащего

Подлежащее ставится в начале предложения и обычно выражено существительным или местоимением. Группа подлежащего может включать артикль и определение.

Обезьяны любят бананы.

Он пишет короткие рассказы.

Тот студент – из Рима.

Том и Анна живут в Бостоне.

Его маленький сын учится читать.

Подлежащее ставится после глагола в конструкции «there is, there are», которая употребляется, когда вы хотите сказать, ЧТО именно находится в каком-то месте.

В комнате (находится) стол.

На столе (есть) две книги.

Перед домом был автомобиль.

Место сказуемого

Сказуемое стоит за подлежащим и обычно представлено основным глаголом или комбинацией вспомогательного или модального глагола с основным глаголом. Отрицательные формы вспомогательных глаголов могут быть полными или сокращенными.

Она любит шоколад.

Я работаю в маленькой гостинице.

Дети читают и пишут новые слова.

Она не знает его.

Он еще не купил машину.

Вам не следует этого делать.

Мы не собираемся покупать новый дом этим летом.

За глаголом «be» как за глаголом-связкой может следовать существительное, прилагательное, числительное или местоимение как часть сказуемого. (Употребление глагола «be» описано в статье «The Verb BE» в разделе Grammar.)

Я (есть) учитель.

Том молодой.

Чай слишком горячий.

Ей было двадцать.

Он не врач.

Это не она.

Место дополнения

Есть прямые дополнения (без предлога) и косвенные дополнения (с предлогом или без предлога). Дополнение ставится после основного глагола. Если есть два дополнения после глагола, порядок слов такой: сначала идет прямое дополнение, затем дополнение с предлогом.

Том собирает марки.

Он любит чтение.

Он любит читать.

Он ждет автобус.

Она дала две книги своему брату.

Лиз спросила мальчика о его отце.

Она приготовила суп, салат и ростбиф на обед.

За некоторыми переходными глаголами (например, принести, дать, предложить, продать, послать, показать, рассказать) часто следуют два дополнения без предлогов. В этом случае после глагола сначала идет косвенное дополнение (без предлога), а затем прямое дополнение. Примеры:

Она дала ему две книги.

Они предложили мне хорошую работу.

Он послал ей подарок.

Учитель рассказал студентам историю.

Место определения

Определения, выраженные прилагательными (или местоимениями, причастиями, числительными, существительными в притяжательном падеже), обычно стоят перед своими существительными, т.е. перед существительным в подлежащем, дополнении или обстоятельстве. Примеры:

Хороший писатель должен знать много вещей.

Моя старая собака любила свежие яблоки.

Мы выбросили несколько сломанных стульев.

Четыре студента сдали тот трудный тест.

Новый дом доктора находится возле большого парка.

Если есть несколько прилагательных перед существительным, более конкретизирующее прилагательное ставится ближе к своему существительному, чем более общее.

Она купила зеленый свитер.

Она купила хороший зеленый шерстяной свитер.

Чикаго большой город.

Чикаго красивый большой чистый город.

Моя дочь любит мягкие голубые, серые и зеленые цвета.

Моя дочь любит мягкие серые, зеленые и голубые цвета.

Определения в виде существительного с предлогом или конструкции с причастиями ставятся после существительного, которое они определяют.

Она купила шелковую блузку с длинными рукавами.

Чикаго большой город на Среднем Западе.

Я сел на автобус, идущий через Спрингфилд.

Официант выбросил стулья, сломанные во вчерашней драке.

Место обстоятельства

Обстоятельства места, времени, частоты действия, образа действия часто выражены наречиями или существительными с предлогами и ставятся в конце предложения после основного глагола или после дополнения, если есть дополнение.

Обстоятельства места

Они живут на Главной улице.

Спальни наверху.

Я перешел через мост.

Она должна пойти в банк.

Они провели свой отпуск у озера.

Обстоятельства времени

Я собираюсь увидеться с ним завтра.

Я говорил с ним час назад.

Он виделся с ней перед уходом.

Я пошел на работу после занятия.

Она была больна вчера.

Собрание было в десять часов в прошлую пятницу.

Обстоятельства частоты действия

Она их навещает иногда.

Они ходят на концерты часто.

Он звонит ей каждый день.

Он пишет ей регулярно.

Она ходит за покупками раз или два в неделю.

Обстоятельства образа действия

Он водит (машину) очень быстро.

Он закрыл дверь медленно.

Он с жадностью съел еду.

Мы приехали сюда поездом.

Он открыл дверь ключом.

Особенности расположения обстоятельств

Обстоятельства, состоящие из двух и более слов, ставятся в конце предложения после основного глагола (или после дополнения, если оно есть). Возможные варианты расположения обстоятельств времени и частоты действия, состоящих из одного слова, описаны ниже.

Наречия частоты действия из одного слова

Состоящие из одного слова наречия частоты действия «often, frequently, rarely, regularly, sometimes» часто ставятся между подлежащим и основным глаголом в простых временах, но могут также размещаться после основного глагола (или после дополнения, если оно есть).

Он часто ходит в парк.

Он ходит в парк часто.

Мы редко покупаем еду в том магазине.

Он часто навещал их в прошлом году.

Он навещал их часто в прошлом году.

Наречия частоты действия «usually, always, never, seldom» ставятся между подлежащим и основным глаголом в простых временах, но обычно ставятся после глагола «be».

Они редко говорят об этом.

Она обычно покупает хлеб, сыр и молоко в этом продуктовом магазине.

Он всегда задает мне этот вопрос.

Он всегда опаздывает.

Его никогда нет дома раньше семи.

Наречия времени из одного слова

Состоящие из одного слова наречия времени «already, just, never, ever» ставятся между двумя частями сказуемого в перфектных временах, хотя «already» может также стоять после основного глагола.

Она уже уехала.

Она уехала уже.

Она только что мне звонила.

Я никогда не бывал в Мексике.

Вы когда-либо видели этот фильм?

Они уже уехали в Лондон к тому времени, как он прибыл в Париж.

Если во временной форме два вспомогательных глагола, наречие обычно ставится после первого. «Already» может также стоять после второго вспомогательного глагола, например, во времени Future Perfect.

Ему никогда не задавали таких вопросов.

Он, возможно, уже позвонил им.

Его самолет уже приземлится к тому времени, как мы доберемся до аэропорта.

Он уже уедет в Лондон к пятнице.

Некоторые состоящие из одного слова наречия времени и частоты действия, например, «today, tomorrow, yesterday, sometimes, usually», иногда ставятся в начале предложения перед подлежащим (обычно для эмфатического выделения).

Вчера я поговорил с Джимом.

Завтра мы уезжаем.

Неожиданно начался дождь.

Иногда она останавливается в этой гостинице на несколько дней.

Обычно она ест бутерброд с сыром утром, но сегодня она ест яичницу на завтрак.

Обстоятельства из двух слов

Наречия из двух слов и обстоятельства с предлогами ставятся в конце предложения после глагола (или после дополнения, если оно есть). Если есть несколько обстоятельств, то обстоятельство места обычно ставится впереди обстоятельства времени.

Они оставались в его доме примерно час.

Профессор Бенсон обычно имеет два занятия в университете каждый день.

Мои новые соседи часто читают хорошую книгу в своем саду после завтрака.

Он приехал в Вену поездом в семь часов утра в четверг.

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

Get an expert to perfect your paper

§ 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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Word order refers to the conventional arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence.

Compared with many other languages, word order in English is fairly rigid. In particular, the order of subject, verb, and object is relatively inflexible.

Examples and Observations

• «I can’t see the point of Mozart. Of Mozart I can’t see the point. The point of Mozart I can’t see. See I can’t of Mozart the point. Can’t I of Mozart point the see . . . I can’t see the point of Mozart.» (Sebastian Faulks, Engleby. Doubleday, 2007)
• «[A] characteristic of modern English, as of other modern languages, is the use of word-order as a means of grammatical expression. If in an English sentence, such as ‘The wolf ate the lamb,’ we transpose the positions of the nouns, we entirely change the meaning of the sentence; the subject and object are not denoted by any terminations to the words, as they would be in Greek or Latin or in modern German, but by their position before or after the verb.»
  (Logan Pearsall Smith, The English Language, 1912)

Basic Word Order in Modern English

«Assume you wanted to say that a chicken crossed the road in Modern English. And assume you are interested only in stating the facts—no questions asked, no commands, and no passive. You wouldn’t have much of a choice, would you? The most natural way of stating the message would be as in (18a), with the subject (in caps) preceding the verb (in boldface) which, in turn, precedes the object (in italics). For some speakers (18b) would be acceptable, too, but clearly more ‘marked,’ with particular emphasis on the road. Many other speakers would prefer to express such an emphasis by saying something like It’s the road that the chicken crossed, or they would use a passive The road was crossed by the chicken. Other permutations of (18a) would be entirely unacceptable, such as (18c)-(18f).

(18a) THE CHICKEN crossed the road
[Basic, ‘unmarked’ order]
(18b) the road THE CHICKEN crossed
[‘Marked’ order; the road is ‘in relief’]
(18c) THE CHICKEN the road crossed*
(18d) the road crossed THE CHICKEN*
[But note constructions like: Out of the cave came A TIGER.]
(18e) crossed the road THE CHICKEN*
(18f) crossed THE CHICKEN the road*

In this respect, Modern English differs markedly from the majority of the early Indo-European languages, as well as from Old English, especially the very archaic stage of Old English found in the famous epic Beowulf. In these languages, any of the six different orders in (18) would be acceptable . . ..»
(Hans Henrich Hock and Brian D. Joseph, Language History, Language Change, and Language Relationship: An Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics. Mouton de Gruyter, 1996)

Word Order in Old English, Middle English, and Modern English

Adverbials

«One way to find out whether a sentence part is a subject or not is to make the sentence into a question. The subject will appear after the first verb:

He told me to add one tablespoon of honey per pound of fruit.
Did he tell me . . .?
We spread a thin layer of fruit on each plate.
Did we spread . . .?

The only constituent that may occur in many different places is an adverbial. Especially one-word adverbials like not, always, and often may occur almost anywhere in the sentence. In order to see if a sentence part is an adverbial or not, see if it is possible to move it in the sentence.»
(Marjolijn Verspoor and Kim Sauter, English Sentence Analysis: An Introductory Course. John Benjamins, 2000)

The Lighter Side of Word Order in Monty Python’s Flying Circus

Burrows: Good doctor morning! Nice year for the time of day!
Dr. Thripshaw: Come in.
Burrows: Can I down sit?​
Dr. Thripshaw: Certainly. Well, then?
Burrows: Well, now, not going to bush the doctor about the beat too long. I’m going to come to point the straight immediately.
Dr. Thripshaw: Good, good.
Burrows: My particular prob, or buglem bear, I’ve had ages. For years, I’ve had it for donkeys.
Dr. Thripshaw: What?
Burrows: I’m up to here with it, I’m sick to death. I can’t take you any longer so I’ve come to see it.
Dr. Thripshaw: Ah, now this is your problem with words.​
Burrows: This is my problem with words. Oh, that seems to have cleared it. «Oh I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee.» Yes, that seems to be all right. Thank you very much.​
Dr. Thripshaw: I see. But recently you have been having this problem with your word order.
Burrows: Well, absolutely, and what makes it worse, sometimes at the end of a sentence I’ll come out with the wrong fusebox.
Dr. Thripshaw: Fusebox?
Burrows: And the thing about saying the wrong word is a) I don’t notice it, and b) sometimes orange water given bucket of plaster.
(Michael Palin and John Cleese in episode 36 of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, 1972)