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

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[Word order #8]

Task (1): Search for exclaimed in the corpus; give an example of inverted word order when exclaimed is used in a reporting tag.
Task (2): Give an example of a reporting tag where exclaimed follows the subject.
Task (3): Do the corpus results support the claim that Subject pronouns do not lend themselves easily to inverted word order? (Supply your answer with examples if necessary.)
Task (4): Search for said she; do all of the hits support the claim in the Task (3)? (Supply your answer with examples if necessary.)



Suggested answer:
(1) Example of inverted word order in reporting tag:
Ugh -- how horrid!' exclaimed the children.

(2) Example of a reporting tag where exclaimed follows the subject:
'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Universe!' Graham exclaimed.

(3) Yes, the corpus results support this claim. No Subject pronouns were found to follow the verb exclaimed in reporting tags.

(4) Quite a few of the hits contradict the claim stated in task (3). It is quite clear that inversion may also take place when the Subject is realised by a pronoun, e.g.:
'We have been talking at cross purposes,' said she.

The fact that the answers to Tasks (3) and (4) diverge suggests that the claim put forward in Task (3) may be seen as a guideline rather than a hard and fast rule in English. However, based on our findings, the heavier the verb, the less likely it is for inversion to take place when the subject is a pronoun. Said is lighter than exclaimed and is therefore a more likely candidate to change places with a light word such as a pronoun.

Read about word order here and here
Terminology: pronoun, inversion

Last updated 4 October 2023, SOE
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