Railroad cars will link together in different ways. We expect the engine to come first, but it’s been seen in the middle or at the end. Does it make any difference? Not much, since all the freight will arrive at about the same time.
While the difference may be subtle, we prefer seeing the engine at the front and the caboose at the end. The way we structure our sentences can be the same way. What happens first needs to come first in a sentence.
Good Grammar: I went to town after lunch.
Better Writing: After lunch, I went to town.
Since lunch came first, “after lunch” works best at the beginning of the sentence. Watch for times you’ve ended with an “after” phrase, and see if it reads better at the beginning.
Good Grammar: The apostle Paul asked God to take away his thorn in the flesh three times.
Better Writing: Three times, the apostle Paul asked God to take away his thorn in the flesh.
We know what is meant. But the phrase “three times” is too far from the verb “asked,” which it modifies. Paul didn’t need God to take away the thorn three times.
Good Grammar: “Is this seat taken?” Bill pointed to the empty chair.
Better Writing: Bill pointed to the chair. “Is this seat taken?”
In this scene, what do you visualize Bill doing. First, he points to the chair, then asks the question. So we need to see the same order in the way we train our words.
