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Word Order  - com exercícios em inglês!
04/19/11

Para distribuir as palavras dentro de uma frase ou sentença em inglês, de forma que elas façam sentido para seu interlocutor, é preciso seguir uma certa ordem dentro da gramática inglesa. Em inglês, assim como em cada língua individualmente, o fluxo do pensamento tem suas próprias  características e peculiaridades. Esse fluxo de pensamentos é o que forma a comunicação, e a maneira como as palavras e frases são expressas. As pessoas, em suas várias culturas, vêem o mundo de forma diferente, e portanto expressam essa visão de forma diferente. Assim as línguas se estabelecem, e se desenvolvem.

In (Brazilian) Portuguese we can get away with word order easily. We can say:

• Amanhã vou à casa de Paula; ou 
• Vou à casa de Paula amanhã; ou 
• Vou amanhã à casa de Paula. 

Observe that "amanhã" (time expression) can be put at the beginning of the phrase, at the end, or in the middle. But not in English!!!

In grammatically correct English, time expressions can only be put at the beginning or at the end of the phrase.

I will go to Paula's house tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I will go to Paula's house.

I will go tomorrow to Paula's house.

The rule is: we never place time between verb and object.

Now, what about the subject, verb, and object?

In Portuguese it can be heard this way:

Depositei para a seguradora ontem o pagamento. 

  verb           indirect object    time expression    direct object

O ponto aqui é o seguinte: em português do dia a dia, esse tipo de construção é comum, e quando o estudante de inglês tenta "traduzir mentalmente" a frase "Depositei para a seguradora ontem o pagamento",  fica assim: 

I deposited to the insurance company yesterday the payment.

Por isso eu vivo relembrando vocês que é preciso parar de pensar em português na formação das frasesem inglês. It's ok to think in Portuguese when you are studying grammar, for example, because you are comparing things, therefore learning deeply. You don't need to, but's fine if you do! But DO NOT translate expressions and phrases in your head, because in 80% of the time they will come wrong.

SOLUÇÃO: ler mais em inglês para absorver como as idéias fluem na comunicação. Ouvir mais (estações de rádio em inglês, filmes, música...) para se acostumar com a colocação das palavras nas frases, e a fluência do inglês. Com o tempo, seu cérebro acaba captando e imitando a mesma fluência.

Na tradução mental acima temos a seguinte ordem das palavras:

Subject  +   verb      +      indirect object               +  time expression  + direct object
   "I    deposited  to the insurance company  yesterday      the payment." 

In English, this is a mess!! First, the time expression (yesterday) could not be between objects. It should be at the beginning or at the end of the phrase.

Secondly, let me explain about the deep structure of a sentence. It's ruled, in English, following this word order:

Subject + Verb + Object +  Complement

See how this order differs from the above order in green?

The correct is:

  I        deposited   the payment  to the insurance company     yesterday.

Subject    verb            direct object            indirect object                   time expression.

 

Think in a linear way:

Who did what, to whom, when?

Remember this:

1o. Quem? = subject (I)

2o. Fez (ação)? = verb (deposited)

3o. O quê? (objeto direto) ou para quem fez? (objeto indireto) = the payment to the insurance

4o. Complemento = onde? quando? de que forma? 

 

See the linear way of thinking, here:

I will send you a letter as soon as I can.

who?  I = subject, who performs the action

do what?  will send = verb, the action

to whom I do?  you = indirect object (para quem vou enviar?)

what?  a letter = direct object (a carta é o objeto direto do envio, sem preposição)

when?  as soon as I can = complement, time expression.

Obs: Direct and indirect objects can switch position in many cases. Like here, it could well be: I will send a letter (d.obj) to you (i.obj) as soon as I can. Note that when the indirect object is far form the verb, it requires a preposition. When it's close, we can omit the preposition (I will send you a letter x I will send a letter to you)

 

This is called "deep structure" - it's the structure that follows the explained word order,

Subject + Verb + Object + Complement

Sometimes we can move words around and still keep the sense of the sentence, by adding a comma. The transformed order is called "surface structure".

Examples:

Deep structure:

Two ladies       met      two men              at the park.

Who/subject         verb      d. object (what)         complement (where)

 

Surface structure:

At the park, two ladies met two men.

 

But it would be wrong to say:

Two ladies meet at the park two men. 

We cannot use the "where" complement between verb and object.

 

Ok, enough of theory. What about some exercises? 

 

How would you rearrange the words below:

1. you / I / will / do / a favor / time / this

2. brings / Friday / every / the kids / to / candies / Sam

3. every / the / day / store / walk / they / to

4. Jane / did / a favor / to / Mark / she / but / ungrateful / is / so

5. we/ here / had / last contest / in the / that / painting / abstract / first / won / prize

6. defrosts / the meat / we / put / must / before / it / in the freezer

7 .tomorrow / Chris / must / night / in town / arrive

8. Pat / send / to / birthday / we / should / card / a / today

 

Check out if you did it right:

 

1. I will do you a favor this time.
2. Sam brings candies to the kids every Friday.
3. They walk to the store every day.
4. Mark did a favor to Jane but she is so ungrateful.
5. That abstract painting won first prize in the last contest we had here.
6. We must put the meat in the freezer before it defrosts.
7. Chris may arrive in town tomorrow night.
8. We should send a birthday card to Pat today!

 

  

 

"We must in the icebox the fish put"...

This is a word-for-word translation from German to English, found in the John Muir's book "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive". It is a comic in German.

The correct form in English is: "We must put the fish in the icebox"

 

 

If you need further explanation and more examples on this topic, and you are a subscriber or a member, just ask me!

 

Dúvidas sobre este tema?

Gramática, cultura, expressões idiomáticas em inglês? 

Drop me a line at:

 

 

Dúvidas de vocabulário? Here is the solution: 

http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-portuguese/catch
Dicionário online, inglês-português

Vocabulário e Pronúncia?

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/home
Merriam-Webster, Dicionário online inglês-inglês

 

 

 

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