Saturday, January 05, 2013

Normal word order



Word order in a sentence

What to avoid:

1. Never place anything between a verb and its object.

  • I sent yesterday all the documents. (Here all the documents is the object of the verb sent)
2. Always put place expressions before time expressions.

Instead of writing

  • We went after the lecture to the coffee-shop.
write
  • We went to the coffee-shop after the lecture.
In the above sentence coffee shop is the place expression and after the lecture is the time expression.



Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Beside versus Besides


Beside (without the s) is a preposition that means next to, along side of, at the side of
  • "The tree that is beside the running water is fresher and gives more fruit" ~ Saint Teresa
  • The little girl was sitting beside her mother.
  • A man should stand beside his woman.
  • Who is the big girl sitting beside Anne?
Besides (with the s) can act as a preposition or a conjunctive adverb.

Besides means moreover, in addition, also, as well, in any case when it acts as a conjunctive adverb.

  • Besides chocolate, you will also need a second flavoring in the ice-cream.
  • I don't like those earrings; besides, they're t costly.
  • I'm to exhausted to type the report tonight; besides, it's not due until next week.
  • He is naive, immature and irritable; besides, he is too young for you.
Besides means except when it acts as a preposition.
  • No one besides her mother knew her secret.
  • No one besides the trainer could control the dog.
  • Nobody besides Sam can deal with her
  • No one besides Sam would use such an offending tone.
Idioms:

Beside oneself: very surprised; greatly agitated; in a state of extreme, uncontrolled emotion

  • He was beside himself with anger.
Beside the point: not relevant or important
  • Your idea is beside the point.