Which is correct? I haven't the foggiest idea about it, as my research has been able to find no such question anywhere.
- The crystal found yesterday by me costs dozens of euros.
- The crystal found by me yesterday costs dozens of euros.
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Mr realtor
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Why do you think that only one can be correct? – Kate Bunting Jan 04 '23 at 14:54
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3Please clarify if "found by me" means you were the person who found the crystal or means it was at the side of you when it was found (by you or someone else). – Anton Jan 04 '23 at 14:59
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There are a few questions/answers about ordering preposition/adverbial phrases e.g. this but Anton raises a good point about ambiguity. – Stuart F Jan 04 '23 at 15:03
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2Does this answer your question? Where is it best to put the "when" of a sentence? ... 'John went to the store yesterday to buy eggs' etc – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '23 at 19:29
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Both forms seem somewhat clunky to me.
How about:
The crystal I found yesterday cost me dozens of Euros
or (if you found this crystal as opposed to buying it):
The crystal I found yesterday is worth dozens of Euros
These wordings remove any ambiguity about how you obtained the crystal and describes the nature of its value.
Boots
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Hello, Boots. While this is certainly valid advice, it does not address OP's question (about the placement of the temporal adverb 'yesterday' in a sentence). – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '23 at 19:32
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@EdwinAshworth I’m not clear on what you’re asking for here. I’ve simply made the grammar of both sentences more clear and in line with every day English usage. The OP hasn’t clarified the intention of specifically what they’re wanting. In the absence of details, I’ve gone for what seems most helpful and straightforward. – Boots Jan 04 '23 at 22:35
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@EdwinAshworth While both forms are technically correct, a typical English speaker wouldn't use either, which is what matters most. – alphabet Jan 05 '23 at 02:24
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@alphabet If you look at the site's aims, you will see that the overriding aim is to build up a database of correct usages, without bloat so that it is more readily searchable. It's not in the first instance a 'help everyone with all their English queries' platform. As regards this question: writing (style) advice (how to rephrase sentences to sound better / less clunky) is off-topic, and especially when OP doesn't actually ask for a rephrase, should not be given in an answer. OP asks directly about adverb placement here (and this has been addressed before). Yosef's ... – Edwin Ashworth Jan 05 '23 at 15:27
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comment 'Both examples are not wrong and not good, either. Anyone can tell you that the crystal I found yesterday is clearer' addresses perhaps the more serious of OP's problems without claiming to be an answer to their actual query. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 05 '23 at 15:27