Unusual adjective positions that don’t stick to the rules
The general rules for adjective word order (the basics of which are covered in the ELB guide to Word Order in English) are usually understood as most adjectives coming before the noun they describe, with a few exceptions that follow linking verbs, such as to be (when...
Noun complements and adding additional information after nouns
Basic word structure in English shows that a noun either be followed by a verb (when the noun is the subject) or a prepositional phrase or a time (when the noun is an object). However, nouns can be joined by additional information as part of a single grammatical unit....How to use Bridging Words Effectively (however, therefore, thus etc.)
One of the most common problems I edit in more advanced writing, particularly non-fiction such as reports, essays and general academic texts, is over-use of bridging words. Everyone suffers from this at some point; even when I edit my own writing I tend to cut out a...
Word order for compound nouns
Nouns can be combined with many different words to form compound nouns, the core noun is modified as though with an adjective. Compound nouns are treated like a single unit, so the entire group of words take the position of a regular noun, and any modifiers come...Want to Master English?
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