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Sentence Structure for Writers (2017)

(blog.oup.com)
84 points onemind | 3 comments | 13 Nov 24 22:17 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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BoostandEthanol ◴[17 Nov 24 14:51 UTC] No.42164462[source]▶
Am I missing something here or does the very first example break this article’s own point?

“It was nice of John and Mary to come and visit us the other day,” is 8 words before the verb come.

“For John and Mary to come and visit us the other day was nice,” is only five, focused solely on the subject with no additional information (how the author felt about their visit)

Yet personally the second one reads easier for me, so I guess that reinforces the point to me specifically? Although I agree it’s unusual.

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1. greenie_beans ◴[18 Nov 24 17:51 UTC] No.42174903[source]▶
the sentence should be completely rewritten:

"I enjoyed John and Mary's visit yesterday."

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2. rawgabbit ◴[18 Nov 24 18:20 UTC] No.42175254[source]▶
The tyranny of active voice.
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3. greenie_beans ◴[18 Nov 24 18:47 UTC] No.42175546[source]▶
nah i just know how to write a good sentence, active verbs are only one tool. you're mistaken if you think the original sentence is better.