Expert: Dan Smith - 7/15/2005

Question
A colleague and I are having a grammatical dispute, and we were wondering if you could help us solve it.  

It is my contention that the statement "As you can see from the below figures, ...", is grammatically correct.  He contends that it is incorrect, and should be rewritten "As you can see from the figures below, ...".  While I see nothing wrong with his re-write, I believe they are both acceptable english.  What is your opinion on the matter?

I would not even bother to ask you, but statements similar to this are a constant subject of debate with us, and I would like the matter settled.  

Thank you,
Kevin Womack

Answer
Grammatically, adverbs are allowed to either precede or follow the terms they modify, so your construction, "below figures," may be technically correct in the strictest sense of grammatical rules. But it is not the usual construction by a long shot. I think it will stop most readers dead in their tracks while they process the unconventional word order. That is not the effect you would normally seek in a reader. My vote is with your colleague.

Of course, unconventional constructions are sometimes useful for emphasis. But use them sparingly and only when you really want the effect.

Hope this helps.