By Word order, Inflections

Your guess is correct, Avangi. The term "relative superlative" is rarely used even in Finland, but it does exist here. I suppose European grammarians think it's enough to distinguish the two superlatives if one of them has a modifier (absolute).I think the development of the...

Welcome to EF, ZhukThere is no unanimous "correct" reply to your last question. As a rule, English is very flexible and in many cases liberal grammarians accept more than one alternative while some others insist on only one that they think is right. I would go for has, like you."Our teacher of...

Hi ForbesThank you for your long reply. I do appreciate it. I would just like to say that I my opinion is based on the knowledge I have of the Germanic and Romance languages and it is of course very subjective. I fully understand that not everyone agrees with me and what I consider easy may be...

I think you have got your terms mixed up, Anon. Separating a subject from its verb is in no way exceptional in English, as Clive has already shown you. What I think you mean is separating a verb from its object, which does happen in some cases but is often objectionable. In English one should...

Peaceblinkfriend wrote:I think the more common statement is 'making the impossible possible'.Good point, Peaceblinkfriend. The reason is the fact that in English the object (the impossible) is preferably immediately after the verb. This is because there are no inflections for nouns and...

Hi allIt would be interesting to hear from nonnative speakers of English in particular what influence English exerts on other languages nowadays. What English words and expressions are used in your language? Does English grammar or syntax have an influence on your native language? Where is this...

Hi Kooyeen"Don't put an adverb between a verb and its object" is a good rule even though there are exceptions to it. Since inflections have practically disappeared from English over time, it is customary to place the object after the verb to facilitate communication. However, if the object is...

Hi InchoI agree with the previous posters completely; I would just like to elaborate a little from a non-native speaker's standpoint to a non-native speaker. We're both foreigners, right?Since there are hardly any inflections in English, the word order is very rigid and certain phrases and...

English has evolved in a way that makes it rely more on word order and less on inflection (I think). So I don't see English turning back and becoming a highly inflected language any time soon...

The various forms of phrasal verbs Phrasal verbs can be transitive or intransitive, separable or inseparable. The object or accusative can in the cases of separable phrasal verbs be placed before or after the particle. With inseparable phrases, the object/accusative is fixed and its position...