In the sentence ‘human brain size today is smaller’, the word ‘today’ is placed at the end to emphasize the time frame being referred to. This positioning follows a common English grammatical rule that adverbs of time are often placed at the end of the sentence, especially when they are not part of a specific phrase.
Why is ‘today’ at the end of the sentence?
In English, adverbs like ‘today’, ‘now’, ‘tomorrow’, and ‘yesterday’ are often placed at the end of the sentence to highlight the time or period being discussed. By placing ‘today’ at the end of the sentence, it draws attention to the fact that the statement is specifically about the present time, distinguishing it from the past or future.
Can ‘today’ be placed before ‘human brain size’?
If you wrote ‘today human brain size is smaller’, the sentence would sound unnatural and less clear. In English, we generally avoid placing adverbs before the subject noun in this manner. The structure ‘human brain size today is smaller’ is grammatically correct, as it keeps the adverb ‘today’ separate from the noun phrase ‘human brain size’, maintaining a smooth and natural flow.
Is there a rule for word order in noun phrases?
Yes, in English, noun phrases follow a specific order. Typically, the structure is as follows: [determiner] + [adjective] + [noun]. For example, ‘the big dog’ or ‘a red car’. When multiple nouns are combined (like ‘human brain size’), they usually follow the ‘modifier + noun’ pattern. ‘Human’ acts as a modifier for ‘brain’, and ‘brain’ is a modifier for ‘size’. This keeps the sentence concise and clear.
Summary
In the sentence ‘human brain size today is smaller’, ‘today’ is placed at the end of the sentence to emphasize the present time. This follows the common English rule that time-related adverbs typically appear at the end of the sentence. When creating noun phrases, the word order in English tends to follow a pattern of modifiers followed by the main noun, ensuring clarity and natural flow in the sentence.
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