Page 319 - Oxford_English_Grammar_Course_Basic_2015

appendix 6 word order

This section summarises the most important rules of word order that you can find in other parts of the book,

sentences

The basic word order of English sentences is SUBJECT - VERB - OBJECT.
I play the piano. (NOT / the piano play ?)

questions
In questions we usually put an auxiliary verb before the subject.
Did you see the news last n ig h t? (NOT Saw -ye u-the news ...?) Can you swim?
For more details, see Section 8, pages 103-111.
This does not usually happen with indirect questions.
She asked me where I lived. (NOT She a sked me where did I live.)
For more details, see page 266.

adjectives
Adjectives usually go before, not after, nouns.
an interesting film (NOT a film interesting)
Adjectives can go after be, seem and similar verbs.
I think she is tired.
For more details, see Section 15, pages 209-211.

adverbs
Different adverbs can go in different places in a sentence.
Yesterday I g o t up a t 6.00. I've just seen a rabbit. You're driving very slowly.
They do not usually go between the verb and the object.

I bought a bike yesterday. (NOT / bought yesterday a bike.)
She speaks Spanish very well. (NOT She speaks very well Spanish.)
For more details, see Section 15, pages 212-215.

prepositions
Prepositions often go at the ends of questions, especially in spoken English.
Who did you go with ? W hat did you do th a t for?
For more details, see Section 8, page 111.
Prepositions can also go at the ends of relative clauses, especially in spoken English.
There's the m an that I told you about. The train that I usually travel on wasn't running.
For more details, see Section 19, page 258.

phrasal verbs
The objects of phrasal verbs (but not prepositional verbs) can often go between the two parts of the verb.
I turned the light out. (OR / turned out the light.)
Pronoun objects always go between the two parts of a phrasal verb.
I turned it out. (NOT I turned o u t it.)
For more details, see Section 10, pages 142-143.

ago
Ago follows an expression of time.
We arrived two hours ago. (NOT ... ago tw o hours)

enough
Enough usually goes before nouns but after adjectives and adverbs.
Have you g o t enough soup?{NOT ... soup-enough?)
Is the soup hot enough? (NOT ... enough hot?) I didn't get up early enough.

304 APPENDICES