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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Which is correct?

Hi, does the placement of "open" matter? I would appreciate an answer (and maybe a side note why one is better), because it's bugging me. Thank you.

Mark pulled the drawer open.
Mark pulled open the drawer.
  

Top answer

Hello, The first is the commonly used structure, the second one does not read smoothly because the direct object should be right after the verb. Hamid

— Hrsanei

  • Hello, The first is the commonly used structure, the second one does not read smoothly because the direct object should be right after the verb.
  • Hamid
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5 Answers
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Hello,
The first is the commonly used structure, the second one does not read smoothly because the direct object should be right after the verb.
Hamid
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hrsaneiHello, The first is the commonly used structure, the second one does not read smoothly because the direct object should be right after the verb. Hamid
I'm afraid I must disagree with this. "Mark pulled open the drawer" reads just fine to me.
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AnonymousHi, does the placement of "open" matter?
Not a great deal, in my opinion. The first of the two you wrote seems more 'ordinary' to my ear, but other than that, they are pretty much equivalent.

CJ
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In Google "ngrams" (data from Google book scans), "pulled open the drawer" is actually significantly more common:

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GPYIn Google "ngrams" (data from Google book scans), "pulled open the drawer" is actually significantly more common:
Then thank the gods I wrote "seems" and "to my ear".

CJ
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