Misplaced words
Wrong position of adverbs.
1. The adverb of definite time misplaced.
Don't say: I last night went to the cinema.
Say: I went to the cinema last night.
Adverbs or adverbial phrases of definite lime, like yesterday, today, tomorrow, last week, two months ago, are usually placed at the end of the sentence If we want to emphasise the time, we put the adverb at the beginning Yesterday I was very busy.
Note: if there is more than one adverb of definite time in a sentence, put the more exact expression before the more general He was born at two o'clock in ths morning on April 12th 1942.
2. The adverb of indefinite time misplaced.
Don't say: They come always to school by bus.
Say: They always come to school by bus.
Place adverbs of indefinite time, like ever, never, always, often, seldom, soon, sometimes and the adverbs almost, scarcely, hardly, nearly, even, before the principal verb. Note With the verb to be place the adverb of indefinite time after the verb.They are always beautifully dressed.
3. The adverb of time placed before the adverb of place.
Don't say: The builders will be tomorrow here.
Say: The builders will be here tomorrow.
When using an adverb of hm e and an adverb of place together in a sentence, the adverb of place must come first.
4.The adverb misplaced with a transitive verb.
Don't say: Janet wrote carefully her essay.
Say: Janet wrote her essay carefully.
With a transitive verb, the adverb generally comes after the object.
Note. If, however , the object is long, the adverb may come after the transitive verb She wrote carefully all the essays she had to do.
5. The adverb enough misplaced.
Don't say: Is the room enough large for,you?
Say: Is the room large enough for you?
Place the adverb enough after the word it qualifies and not before.
Note. When enough is an adjective it comes before the noun: We have enough food for six people.
6. Not misplaced with a compound verb.
Don't say: I should have not gone.
Say: I should not have gone.
Position not in a compound verb after the first auxiliary.
Note: With the present or perfect participle, place not at the beginning'Not having set the alarm, he was late for work. Not being rich, he couldn't afford it.
7. Not misplaced with the negative infinitive.
Don't say: I told Liz to not come on Monday.
Say: I told Liz not to come on Monday.
Position not in the negative infinitive immediately before the word to, and not after it.
8. The subject of the sentence misplaced
Don't say: Last week visited our school a man.
Say: A man visited our school last week.
In most English sentences place the subject first, the verb , next then the object with the rest following.
9. The subject misplaced in questions.
Don't say: You were at the cinema yesterday?
They'll come with us tomorrow?
Say: Were you at the cinema yesterday
Will they come with us tomorrow?
10. The subject misplaced in questions beginning with an interrogative word.
Don't say: Why you were absent last Friday?
Say: Why were you absent last Friday?
In question beginning with interrogative like what, when, where,how, place verb before the subject as.
11. The subject misplaced after never, etc.
Don't say: Never have heard of such a thing.
Say: Never have I heard of such a thing.
12. All not used instead of Not all.
Don't say: All people are not hard working.
Say: Not all people are hard-working.
The first sentence is wrong because it makes all people lazy.
Note Similarly, Everybody doesn't like dancing should be Not every body likes dancing.
13. The subject misplaced in indirect questions.
Don't say:The teacher asked me what games did I play.
Say: The teacher asked me what games I played.
In indirect questions follow the usual order of words : subject first and then verb.
14. The direct object misplaced.
Don't say: He touched with his hand the ball.
Say: He touched the ball with his hand.
The object of a transitive verb generally come s directly after the verb.
15. The indirect object misplaced.
Don't say: I showed to her some of my stamps.
Say: I showed some of my stamps to her.
If the indirect object is preceded by a preposition, place it after the direct object.
Note The indirect object usually comes fust without t a preposition not showed her some ol my stamps.
16. The qualifying adjective misplaced.
Don't say: My uncle has a garden very large.
Say: My uncle has a very large garden.
Put the adjective immediately before the noun, it qualifies.
17. The past participle misplaced.
Don't say: The ordered goods haven't arrived.
Say:The goods ordered haven't arrived.
The goods ordered is a shortened form of The goods which have been ordered.
18. The relative clause misplaced.
Don't say: A girl has a pony who is in our class.
Say: A girl who is in our class has a pony.
Put the relative clause immediately after the noun to which it refers.
Note Enclose a relative clause that ma y be omitted between commas . My Brother George, who is in another class, has a new bicycle. A relative clause that can't be omitted is not enclosed within commas : The boy who spoke to me is my brother.
19. The conjunction misplaced in a time clause.
Don't say: Emma when she arrived the boat had already gone.
Say: When Emma arrived the boat had already gone.
Place the conjunction introducing an adverbial clause of time at the beginning of a clause.
20 Correlative conjunctions misplaced.
Don't say: Paul neither speaks English nor French.
Say: Paul speaks neither English nor French.
Place correlative conjunctions (that is, conjunctions used in pairs, like neither, nor, not only ... but also) before words of the same part of speech.
21 The ordinal numeral misplaced.
Don't say: I've read the two first chapters.
Say: I've read the first two chapters.
Place ordinal numerals before cardinal numerals There can't be two first chapters, only one . Similarly, we must say. The last two (three, etc.), and not two (three, etc.) last.
22 The indefinite article misplaced with such.
Don't say: I never met a such good man before.
Say: I never met such a good man before.
Place the indefinite article a or an after such: such a good man.
23 The definite article misplaced with half.
Don't say: The half year is nearly finished.
Say: Half the year is nearly finished.
Half the year is shortened form of half of the year.
24 The most used instead of most of the.
Don't say: The most of girls are not present.
Say: Most of the girls are not present.
The phrase the most of is incorrect. Say, most of the.
25 The apostrophe (') misplaced with contractions.
Don't write: Did'nt, has'nt, is'nt, are'nt, etc.
Write: Didn't, hasn't isn't, aren't, etc.
26 Mentioning oneself first.
Don't soy: Only I and my mother are present.
Say: Only my mother and I are present.
