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Magic79 Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

make available the following

Hello!

In a business letter, an English native speaker changed my sentence:

I would appreciate it if you could make available the following books by next month.

To the corrected version:

I would appreciate it if you could make the following books available by next month.

Is it a stylistic issue, grammatical, or are both perfectly acceptable (one American and the other more British?)

  

Top answer

As an American, I greatly prefer make X available to make available X . I don't know if it's out-and-out wrong, but it sounds like "headline" style: City to make available public records

— BarbaraPA

  • As an American, I greatly prefer make X available to make available X .
  • I don't know if it's out-and-out wrong, but it sounds like "headline" style: City to make available public records
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4 Answers
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As an American, I greatly prefer make X available to make available X.

I don't know if it's out-and-out wrong, but it sounds like "headline" style: City to make available public records
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I think it is purely stylistic. Your sentence seems acceptable and the structure is one I have used in business letters. Equally I have seen the corrected structures as well. I am not sure why your colleague [?] changed it.
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Grammar GeekAs an American, I greatly prefer make X available to make available X.

I don't know if it's out-and-out wrong, but it sounds like "headline" style: City to make available public records
I agree with Barbara. "... make something available" sounds better than "make available something'.
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Thanks Grammar Geek, Feebs, and Young Liat for your replies.

I have found both versions on google hits. But it is enlightining to know that "Make available" sounds like news headlines and that one is more preferable than the other.
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