Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[fw]

For the blank below, I understand #2 is appropriate. Would #1, on the other hand, be no good for the blank?

"The Inuit always observed the sun and astrology for direction and for weather," ( ) . "We were taught ... that one day the world will change, and it has."


1. Jayko Pitseolak, an Inuit elder, said
2. said Jayko Pitseolak, an Inuit elder

fw

[lydianvnv]

I think it is because of the habitual expression and traditional stlye in English. In sentence 1, the predicate is so far from the subject, and this is not quite allowed in English which prefers this kind of style " subject + predicate". On the other hand, it, i mean sentence 2, sounds and looks more comfortable and acceptable.

[LucentShade]

You could put #1 at the beginning to make:
Jayko Pitseolak, an Inuit elder, said, "The Inuit always observed the sun and astrology for direction and for weather. We were taught ... that one day the world will change, and it has."

But, putting the verb at the end of the sentence is unnatural most of the time. Some books and poems change the word order, but those are different from normal conversation.

[pinenut]