Turkish: A Comprehensive Grammar

Turkish: A comprehensive grammar 342
(33) (Ahmet herhalde) bütün para-yı bir haftada bitirir.
‘(Ahmet)/[He] would (probably) get through all the money in a week.’
(34) (Öğretmen) {[dersi baltalayan] öğrencilerden birkaç tanesin}-i idareye
bildirdi.
‘(The teacher)/[S/he] reported several of the students [who had disrupted the
class] to the authorities.’
In sentences which contain both an accusative-marked direct object and an oblique
object, the former has to precede the latter:
(35) Hasta anne-sin-i ye-mey-e zorla-dı.
sick mother-3SG.POSS-ACC eat-VN-DAT force-PF
‘S/he forced his/her sick mother to eat.’
Otherwise there are generally no clear-cut rules determining the ordering of two or more
case-marked noun phrases (objects or adverbials) in relation to one another, where all or
both are definite. The general principle is that the more predictable a constituent is (e.g.
from previous mention or from presence in the speech context) the earlier in the sentence
it is likely to appear.
(36) Ahmet öğrenci-ler-e sınav kağıt-ların-ı verdi.
student-PL-DAT exam paper-3PL.POSS-ACC
‘Ahmet gave the students their exam papers.’
(37) Şu masa-yı yandaki oda-ya götür.
table-ACC room-DAT
‘Take this table into the room next door.’
If a sentence has two accusative-marked or two dative-marked noun phrases (because
there are two clauses in the sentence), then each noun phrase occupies its unmarked
position within its own clause (see also 13.2.1.1 (38)):
(38) Ahmet sen-i [ben-i tanı-mı-yor] san-dı.
you-ACC I-ACC know-NEG-IMPF think-PF
‘Ahmet thought you didn’t know me.’
(39) Doktor-a [hasta-ya bak-ma-sın]-ı söyle-di.
doctor-DAT patient-DAT check-VN-3SG.POSS-ACC tell-PF
‘S/he told the doctor [to check the patient].’
23.2.4 ADVERBIAL PHRASES
Adverbial phrases of time generally precede those expressing location, which in turn
precede those expressing manner:
(40) Ben şimdi derslerimi aşağıda bilgisayar-la veriyorum.
now downstairs computer-INS
‘Now I’m giving my lectures downstairs with a computer.’
Adverbials expressing reason or purpose often occur at the beginning of the sentence, and
can precede the subject: