When you are linking clauses in this way, you can use or else, instead of or.
They should either formally charge the men or else let them go.
8.198 If you want to emphasize that a negative statement applies to two words or phrases, you put neither in front of the first word or phrase and nor in front of the second word or phrase.
For example, instead of saying The girl did not speak or look up, you say The girl neither spoke nor looked up.
The thought neither upset nor delighted her.
She had neither received nor read the letter.
Neither Margaret nor John was there.
Note that you use a singular verb after singular noun phrases and a plural verb after plural noun phrases.
Neither Belinda nor anyone else was going to speak.
Neither city councils nor wealthy manufacturers have much need of painters or sculptors.
8.199 Sometimes you want to draw attention to an element of a sentence by contrasting it with something different. One way to do this is to link the two elements by putting but between them. You put not in front of the first element.
I wasn’t smiling, not because I was angry but because it was painful to move my face.
I felt not joy but sadness.
The upright chairs were not polished but painted.
Linking more than two clauses, phrases, or words
8.200 You can link more than two clauses, words, or phrases using and or or. Usually you use the conjunction only once, putting it between the last two clauses, words, or phrases. After each of the others you put a comma.
Harrison marched him to the door, threw him out and returned.
…courses in accountancy, science, maths or engineering.
You can also put a comma in front of the conjunction; this usually makes the sentence easier to read, especially if the separated elements contain more than one word or are not completely similar.
Mrs Roberts cooked meals, cleaned, mended clothes, and went to meetings of the sewing club.
Mrs Barnett has a gate and it’s not locked and that’s how they get out.
linking adjectives together
8.201 There are special rules for linking more than two adjectives.
When you put more than two qualitative adjectives in front of a noun, you put commas between the adjectives and do not use a conjunction.
…a large, airy, comfortable room.
When you put more than two classifying adjectives in front of a noun, you have to decide whether the adjectives relate to the same system of classification or to different systems. (This is explained in paragraph 8.183.)
If the classifying adjectives relate to the same system, you put and between the last two adjectives and a comma after each of the others.
…the country’s social, economic and political crisis.
If the classifying adjectives relate to different systems of classification, you do not put anything between any of the adjectives.
…an unknown medieval French poet.
When you put both qualitative and classifying adjectives in front of a noun, you do not put anything between them.
…a little white wooden house.
When you put more than two adjectives after a linking verb, you put and between the last two adjectives and a comma after each of the others.
He was big, dark and mysterious.
We felt hot, tired and thirsty.
9 Changing the focus in a sentence
Introduction
9.1 The structure of a statement usually follows the sequence subject, verb, object, complement, adverbial. The subject, which is what you are going to talk about, comes first. If you do not want to draw special attention to any part of the clause, then you follow this sequence.
subject
Donald verb
was lying adverbial
on the bed. subject
She verb
has brought object
the tape adverbial
with her. subject
He verb
wiped object
the glass complement
dry adverbial
with a tea-towel.
The examples above are in the declarative form. Chapter 5 explains how meanings can be expressed using the declarative, the interrogative and the imperative forms. These other forms involve regular changes in the sequence of elements in the clause.
Is he ill?
Put it on the table.
9.2 However, there are other ways of putting the parts of a clause in a different sequence, in order to give special emphasis or meaning.
adverbial
In his enthusiasm, subject
he verb
overlooked object
a few big problems. object
The third sheet subject
he verb
placed adverbial
in his pocket.
This applies mainly to main clauses. This chapter shows how you can change the word order in a main clause when you want to give special force to the whole clause or to one of its elements.
In most subordinate clauses, you have no choice about the order of the clause elements (see Chapter 8).
the passive
9.3 One way of changing word order in order to change the focus in a clause is to use the passive form. The passive allows you to talk about an event from the point of view of the thing or person affected, and even to avoid mentioning who or what was responsible for the action.
A girl from my class was chosen to do the reading.
The passive is explained in paragraphs 9.8 to 9.24.
split sentences
9.4 Another way of varying the sequence of elements in the clause is to use a split sentence. There are three different types.