Syntax
Here are a few –not all of
them- general rules of syntax for the English language. Follow them (AND
the structures to use the different tenses), and your expression should easily
get better !
syntax_-_word_order.pdf | |
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I. Adjectives :
Adjectives qualify nouns, but never agree with them !
1) place of adjectives :
a) Epithet adjectives :
They come before the noun, in the following order :
Appréciation personnelle + TailleAgeCouleurOrigineMatièreFonction (= « TACOMF »)
ex: I love my beautiful, big, old, black, Italian, leather, walking boots.
b) Attributive adjectives :
They come after the noun, in the same A+TACOMF order, but are separated from the noun by a verb.
ex: These cats are cute, small and black.
2) « and » or « , » :
a) Adjectives are usually separated by a comma (= « , »), except when the adjectives give different colours or different parts of the same object.
ex: This is a comfortable, brown and red, Spanish house.
b) The last two attributive adjectives are always separated by « and ».
ex: This house is comfortable, brown and red, and Spanish.
II. Manner, place, and time adverbs and complements :
Adverbs qualify adjectives (ex: He is a really nice boy) and verbs (ex: He beautifully sang at the concert).
1) Frequency adverbs (often, sometimes, rarely, generally…) and adverbs ending in « -ly » :
They usually come (after the first auxiliary), before the BV.
ex: I rarely have breakfast at home. I have always liked drinking coffee at the office.
ex: It has really been raining hard these last few days.
2) Complements (= « C.C. ») :
a) They usually are at the end of sentences, from the more detailed to the larger piece of information (= de l’information la plus précise à la plus large), in the following order :
manner / place / time
ex: I used to live in Bethesda (= city), Maryland (= state), USA (= country).
ex: He arrived on foot, in our home, at 10 :00 o’clock, on Monday, last week.
= manner = place = time
b) You may want to balance (= équilibrer) the sentences and put some complements at the beginning of the sentence, if there are too many at the end…
III. Object complements :
Do NOT separate the object from its verb.
(cf. Golden Rule #4)
EXERCISES: