English Language & Usage Asked on February 16, 2021
Why is the word-order different with ‘already’ and never’ in the following cases:
and
Can there be any changes in the word order?
Can ‘already’ and ‘never’ break the perfect infinitive? Is it correct to say:
and
Both words can be used in different places in the sentence, sometimes with different shades of meaning.
I never should have done it.
and
I should have done it already.
are both possible.
Have you already done it?
could mean 'Have you had the experience before?
Have you done it already?
is more likely to mean 'Have you finished the task so soon?'
Answered by Kate Bunting on February 16, 2021
A few examples (bearing in mind that should've is pronounced shoulda /'ʃʊɾə/;
ungrammatical sentences are marked with asterisks, as usual)
with never:
with not:
Note that both never and not are negatives. Already is not a negative.
with already:
Conclusions -
To answer the question as posed, the reason the word order is different in the two example sentences is because that's the way the speaker said them. They could have said those sentences differently without changing the meaning or being ungrammatical.
Most adverb placement is speaker's choice -- you put it wherever you feel it should go best, for whatever reason. You're gonna be saying something else in a few seconds, after all, and this is just an adverb. Nobody cares what order it's in as long as it gets out fast enough. That's why I used contractions above -- the way people talk is not the same as the way they're taught to write.
Answered by John Lawler on February 16, 2021
Get help from others!
Recent Questions
Recent Answers
© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP