Sentences can also come in a different order. Study the pairs of sentences in columns A and B and compare them.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| You are full of charms. | Aren’t you full of charms? |
| The old woman has arrived from the village. | There is the old woman arriving from the village |
| The son ate the green herbs in the forest. | In the forest, the son ate the green herbs. |
Sentences can be written in two ways. A sentence with a subject that comes before the predicate is in its natural order. But sentences where the subject can come after the predicate or between verbs are called inverted sentences.
| Natural Order | Inverted Order |
|---|---|
| You are full of charms. | Aren’t you full of charms? |
There and here are never subjects. In sentences that begin with there and here, the subject is usually found later on in the sentence.
Examples
Here is the basket you wanted.
There are the magic herbs Maria is looking for.
The verb should then agree in number with the subject in the sentence. In questions and in some sentences, the subject is often not found at the beginning of a sentence. In inverted sentences, the verb comes before the subject.
Examples
In the hut sleeps Maria.
Have you taken your herbs?
