English Discontinuous Structures

Abstract

This paper examines the possibility of inserting linguistic elements

in unusual positions. The outcome of such insertion has come to be

known as a discontinuous structure. Learners of English as a foreign

language are warned against the use of such structures in their speech or

writing. However, in several cases the insertion of a word or a clause

within a constituent or between constituents becomes obligatory or

stylistically preferable. One striking example is the use of adverbials

between the main verb of a sentence and its direct object when the object

of the sentence is long or heavy.