Well written

Question

Are all these sentences correct:1-The letter was well written by his secretary.2-The letter had been well written by his secretary.3-The letter was written well by his secretary.4-The letter had been written well by his secretary.It seems to me that 1 is ambiguous. It could have the same meaning as 3, but 'well' in that sentence could also mean 'indeed'. I don't think 2, 3 and 4 are ambiguous.Gratefully,Navi.

Meteorquake · Accepted Answer

They are generally fine, except (1) can sound bad at times because of the intrusion of 'well' into 'was written'; this is especially because we would be more likely to say "his secretary's letter was...".

There's no ambiguity in any of them, as 'well' can't mean 'indeed' - perhaps you can give an example of what you are thinking of

d

Navitasan · Answer

Thank you very much Meteorquake.

As far as I know 'well' can sometimes mean 'indeed'.

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/well_2
In all likelihood; indeed: You may well need your umbrella.

Consider:
a-It very well was your brother who said that.

I was not sure if 'well' could have that meaning in my example sentences.

Gratefully,
Navi.

Meteorquake · Answer

The first of those two sentences does overlap in meaning with indeed - in the ones you originally gave, though, the well can't mean indeed

Perhaps someone can suggest a clear explanation for the difference?

d

Navitasan · Answer

Thank you very much Meteorquake.

That is very interesting. It would be good to find some kind of rule here.

I had one more question. Do these work:

A-The computer got well repaired by James.
B-The computer got very well repaired by James.

If I am not mistaken 'get' can be used instead of 'was' in spoken English. I do think these sentences would work in formal English, but would they work in spoken language. I generally put the adverb after the verb. (got/was repaired well). All the sentences where the adverb precedes the past participle seem a bit strange to me. I tend to put the adverb there when we have an adjective (The punishment was well-deserved.)

Gratefully,
Navi.

Meteorquake · Answer

It's hard to put my finger on the issues with these sentences, but I'll have a try....

"well repaired" is usually used adjectivally or with was/been, not often with 'got' in the form you are using ('got well repaired');

so we would say:
1 - the computer was repaired very well by.... / the computer got repaired very well by...
2 - the computer was very well repaired by...

Now I would say (1) is more likely here.
Things are either repaired or they're not, therefore if it's "well repaired" we will want to emphasise the 'well'.
This emphasis would come from using 'very' ('very well' repaired, as above) or from word position.
It seems nicer to have it as a clear verb with all the verb-modifiers on the same side (ie 'very well' and 'by' on the same side), so (1) is best :
the computer was repaired very well by....
and whilst 2 works it seems to my ear less good as, for understanding 'repaired', the 'very well' draws the mind to before the verb and the 'by' draws the mind to after the verb, which pulls you in different directions. That's okay for spoken speech where one thinks of things as one goes along, but not for formal/reflected writing.

Cursorily, I've suggested what's underlined above, however it would be great if someone might come up with a well-tested rule

d

Navitasan · Answer

Thank you very much for your kind and detailed reply.

I always use "well repaired" adjectivally and 'repaired well' adverbially.

A-The computer was very well repaired. (I would tend to interpret that as an adjective)
B-The computer was repaired very well.

C-The computer was very well repaired by John.
This sounds a bit strange to me.

I think 'C' does work, and even 'A' could receive the adverbial interpretation, but maybe they are not very good sentences.

It seems to me the issue is whether 'well repaired' is interpreted adjectivally or adverbially.

But I admit that I am a bit lost.

Gratefully,
Navi.

Well written

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