Word order | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 |

Search the corpus:

[Word order #7]

Task (1): Search for if you ask me and write down hit number 9 (sort concordance by KEYWORD).
Task (2): What kind of clause does the sentence start with?
Task (3): Translate the sentence into Norwegian and compare the SV word order of the main clause in the two languages.



Suggested answer:
(1) Hit number 9 of the search string "if you ask me":
If you ask me, I reckon we've all made a big change for the better.

(2) It is a conditional clause.

(3) Norwegian translation:
Hvis du spør meg, tror jeg vi alle har forandret oss til det bedre.

While English retains normal SV order after the conditional clause, Norwegian gets inversion; the verb tror precedes the subject jeg in the main clause.


Read about word order here and here
Terminology: conditional clause, inversion


Last updated 4 October 2023, SOE
© 2004, 2005, 2006-2022 ILOS, University of Oslo