Word Order

1. Word Order Dr. John Eigenauer Taft College

2. Rule #1 • Avoid the phrases “there is,” “there are,” “there was,” and “there were” at the beginning of sentences. • Example: There are many things that you can do to avoid getting colds. • This should be written: You can do many things to avoid getting colds.

3. Practice Rule #1 • Example: There were many suggestions offered by the participants. • Better: The participants offered many suggestions.

4. Practice Rule #1 • Sometimes you cannot avoid using these words: • Example: There are many ways to build a boat.

5. Rule #2 • Avoid infinitive phrases at the beginning of sentences. • Example: To live passionately is something that everyone should do. • This should be written: Everyone should live passionately.

6. Practice Rule #2 • Example: To work in New York City is a dream of mine. • Better: I dream of working in New York City.

7. Rule #3 • Avoid gerund phrases at the beginning of sentences. • Example: Practicing daily is something that athletes should do. • This should be written: Athletes should practice daily.

8. Practice Rule #3 • Example: Traveling to Europe is something that we hope to do someday. • Better: We hope to travel to Europe someday.

9. Rule #4 • Replace phrases such as “who (is) are,” “that (is) are,” and “which (is) are” with adjectives modifying nouns. • Example: There are many people who are lazy. • This should be written: There are many lazy people, or many people are lazy.

10. Practice Rule #3 • Example: There are many cities that are beautiful in Europe. • Better: There are many beautiful cities in Europe, or: Many European cities are beautiful.

11. Summary • In general, try to move the subject to the beginning of the sentence and follow the subject immediately with a verb.