Objective Word Order
A sentence usually begins with facts which are already known from a preceding sentence or context (theme). New and important facts (rheme) are usually placed in the final position. Compare:
- Včera zemřel známý herec. – A famous actor died yesterday. (An announcement of a death of a person – who died?)
- (Yesterday died (V) famous actor (S).)
- (Ten) známý herec zemřel včera. – The famous actor died yesterday. (When did he die?)
- ((The) famous actor (S) died (V) yesterday.)
- Byl jednou jeden král a ten král měl tři dcery. – Once upon a time there lived a king and the king had three daughters.
- (Was (V) once one king (S) and the king (S) had (V) three daughters (O).)
Read more about this topic: Czech Word Order
Famous quotes containing the words objective, word and/or order:
“I am not a great man, but sometimes I think the impersonal and objective equality of my talent and the sacrifices of it, in pieces, to preserve its essential value has some sort of epic grandeur.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)
“I grew up in a tough neighborhood and we used to say ‘you can get further with a kind word and a gun than just a kind word.’”
—David Mamet, U.S. screenwriter, and Brian DePalma. Al Capone (Robert DeNiro)
“The first sentence of every novel should be: “Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human.” Meander if you want to get to town.”
—Michael Ondaatje (b. 1943)