See in Reader
81 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
81 lines
2.5 KiB
Markdown
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### Description
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Most languages have a normal way of ordering the parts of a sentence. It is not the same in all languages. Translators need to know what the normal word order is in their language.
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### The Main Parts of a Sentence
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Most sentences have three basic important parts: subject, object, and verb. Subjects and objects are usually nouns (i.e., a person, place, thing, or idea) or pronouns. Verbs show action or a state of being.
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#### Subject
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The subject is usually what the sentence is about. It usually performs some action or is being described.
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A subject may be **active**; it does something, such as sing, or work, or teach.
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* <u>Peter</u> sings the song well.
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A subject may have something done to it.
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* <u>Peter</u> was fed good food.
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A subject can be described or it can be in a **state**, such as being happy, sad, or angry.
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* <u>He</u> is tall.
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* <u>The boy</u> is happy.
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#### Object
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The **object** is often the thing that the subject does something to.
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* Peter hit <u>the ball</u>.
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* Peter read <u>a book</u>.
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* Peter sang <u>the song</u> well.
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* Peter ate <u>good food</u>.
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#### Verb
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The verb shows an action or a state of being.
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* Peter <u>sings</u> the song well.
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* Peter <u>is singing</u>.
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* Peter <u>is</u> tall.
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#### Preferred Word Order
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All languages have a preferred word order. The examples below show the order of the subject, object, and verb in "Peter hit the ball" for some languages.
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In some languages, such as English, the order is Subject-Verb-Object.
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* Peter hit the ball.
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In some languages the order is Subject-Object-Verb.
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* Peter the ball hit.
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In some languages the order is Verb-Subject-Object.
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* Hit Peter the ball.
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#### Changes in Word Order
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Word order can change if the sentence:
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* is a question or command
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* describes a state of being (He is happy. He is tall.)
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* expresses a condition, such as with the the word "if"
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* has a location
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* has a time element
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* is in a poem
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Word order can also change
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* if there is some kind of emphasis on a certain part of the sentence
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* if the sentence is really about something other than the subject
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### Translation Principles
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* Know which word order is preferred in your language.
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* Use your language's preferred word order unless there is some reason in your language to change it.
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* Translate the sentence so that the meaning is accurate and clear and so that it sounds natural.
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You may also want to watch the video at http://ufw.io/figs_order.
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