In Russian, word order (more precisely, the order of sentence members) is considered free. This means that in the proposal there is no strictly fixed place for one or another of its members. For example, a sentence consisting of five significant words: The editor carefully read the manuscript yesterday- allows 120 options depending on the permutation of the members of the proposal.

They differ in the direct order of words, determined by the type and structure of the sentence, the way the syntactic expression of this sentence member, its place among other words that are directly related to it, as well as the style of speech and context, and about br a t n y
order, which is a deviation from the usual order and most often performs the function
and n ver s and and, i.e., a stylistic device for highlighting individual members of a sentence by rearranging them. The direct order is typical for scientific and business speech, the reverse is widely used in journalistic and literary and artistic works; the reverse order plays a special role in colloquial speech, which has its own types of sentence construction.

The determining factor in the arrangement of words in a sentence is the purposefulness of the statement, its communicative task. Associated with it is the so-called actual articulation of the statement, which involves the movement of thought from the known, the familiar to the unknown, the new: the first (the basis of the statement) is usually enclosed in the initial part of the sentence, the second (the core of the utterance) is in its final part. Wed:

1) On April 12, 1961, Yu flew. A. Gagarin into space, the first in the history of mankind(the starting point, the basis of the statement is an indication of the date, i.e. the combination April 12, 1961, and the core of the statement is the rest of the sentence, which is logically underlined);

2) Flight Yu. A. Gagarin into space, the first in the history of mankind, took place on April 12, 1961(the basis of the statement is the message about the historical flight of Yu. A. Gagarin, and the core of the statement is an indication of the date, which is logically emphasized).

§ 178. Place of subject and predicate

1. In declarative sentences, the subject usually precedes the predicate, for example: Wires stretched from tree to tree...(Azhaev); Some left the village to work...(Gladkov); The earth revolves around the sun.

   The mutual arrangement of the subject and the predicate may depend on whether the subject denotes a certain, known object or, conversely, an indefinite, unknown object. Wed: The train has come(definite). - The train came(indefinite, some).

   The reverse order of the main members of the sentence (first the predicate, then the subject) is common in the following cases:

   The setting of the subject in front of the predicate in such cases was found in old texts, for example: - Tell me, gossip, what is your passion for stealing chickens? - the peasant said to the fox, meeting with her(Krylov); - Do you know your grandfather, mother? son says to mother(Nekrasov); the rhythm of the verse is also taken into account;

   3) in sentences in which the subject denotes a period of time or a natural phenomenon, and the predicate is expressed by a verb with the meaning of being, becoming, the course of an action, etc., for example: A hundred years have passed...(Pushkin); Spring came(L. Tolstoy); It was a moonlit night(Chekhov);

   4) in descriptions, in a story, for example: The sea sings, the city hums, the sun shines brightly, creating fairy tales(Bitter);

   5) as a stylistically given technique and inversion, in order to logically highlight one of the main members of the sentence, for example: Bear hunting is dangerous, a wounded beast is terrible, but the soul of a hunter, accustomed to dangers from childhood, swept away(A. Koptyaeva).

   When setting adverbial words at the beginning of a sentence, the subject often comes after the predicate, for example: Noise came from the street...(Chekhov). However, under these conditions, the direct order of the main members of the sentence is also found, for example: Uvarov and Anna arrived at the base at the hottest time of the day.(A. Koptyaeva).

2. In interrogative sentences, the predicate often precedes the subject, for example: Will my grandfather or aunt intercede for me?(Pushkin); So will I give you this will, dear, short?(A. N. Ostrovsky).
3. In incentive sentences, pronouns-subjects preceding the verb-predicate strengthen the categorical nature of the command, advice, motivation, and following the predicate, they soften the tone of the command. Wed: You only pick me(A. N. Ostrovsky). - Do not crush me, old woman(Turgenev).
4. In colloquial speech, the copula is often put in first place, for example: I was young, hot, sincere, not stupid ...(Chekhov).
5. Putting the nominal part of the predicate before the subject serves the purpose of inversion, for example: Mysterious and therefore beautiful are the dark thickets of forests, the depths of the seas; the cry of a bird and the crackling of a tree bud bursting from the warmth are mysterious(Paustovsky).

   The means of highlighting the predicate is also the setting of the nominal part before the link, for example: ... Both were left hungry(L. Tolstoy); Bor became deaf, gloomy(Seifullin). The same in a compound verbal predicate when setting the infinitive before the auxiliary verb, for example: So you, well, didn’t even think about sowing?(Sholokhov).

§ 179 Place of determination in a sentence

1. A concordant definition is usually placed in front of the noun being defined, for example: interesting plot, proofreading, verified quotes, third edition, our publishing house.

   Putting an agreed definition after the noun being defined serves the purpose of inversion, for example: On all sides the mountains are impregnable(Lermontov).

   A postpositive definition (that is, a definition after the word being defined) was often found in the works of writers and poets of the 19th century, for example: She had a strong influence on me.(Turgenev); Participation and unfeigned love were visible on Anna's face.(L. Tolstoy); The lonely sail turns white in the blue mist of the sea(Lermontov); There is a short, but marvelous time in the initial autumn ...(Tyutchev).

   Postpositive definitions are common, referring to a noun repeated in a given sentence, for example: This notion of a reflex is, of course, an old notion...(Academician I.P. Pavlov); Voropaev recalled his first meeting with Goreva - an amazing and rare meeting due to the peculiar front-line beauty(Pavlenko). Wed in journalistic and business speech: Such plans, bold and original plans, could only arise under our conditions; This decision is definitely the wrong decision, and is subject to reversal..

   In stylized speech, post-positive definitions give the story the character of a folk narrative; cf. at Neverov: The moon came out on a dark night, looking lonely from a black cloud at deserted fields, at distant villages, at nearby villages..

   Determinants expressed by possessive pronouns, being in a position after a definable noun, can give the statement an expressive coloring, for example: I remember your hands from the moment I became aware of myself in the world.

   In neutral styles, it is not uncommon to have postpositive adjectives expressed by demonstrative pronouns, for example: This half-station ... was surrounded by a double shaft of thick pine logs(Kazakevich).

   The means of semantic selection of the definition is:

   a) its isolation, for example: People, amazed, became like stones(Bitter);

   b) separating the definition from the noun being defined, for example: Rare in the ashen dawn sky swayed the stars(Sholokhov).

   A detached definition is usually postpositive, for example: publication of letters received by the editorial office; exhibition of paintings nominated for a prize. Putting such common definitions (without their isolation) in front of the word being defined is perceived as a kind of inversion; compare: publication of letters received by the editorial office; exhibition of nominated paintings.
   

2. If there are several agreed definitions, the order of their arrangement depends on their morphological expression:

   1) definitions expressed by pronouns are placed ahead of definitions expressed by other parts of speech, for example: on this solemn day, our future plans, all the typos noticed, every fourth Tuesday. Putting pronouns after adjectives is an inversion, for example: In the morning this silver-opal hour slept the whole house(Fedin); The tanker struggled with his slow and long pain(L. Sobolev);

   2) attributive pronouns precede other pronouns, for example: all these amendments, each of your remarks. But the pronoun most placed after the demonstrative pronoun, for example: the same possibilities, the same case;

   3) definitions expressed by qualitative adjectives are placed ahead of definitions expressed by relative adjectives, for example: new historical novel, warm woolen linen, light leather binding, late autumn;

   4) if heterogeneous definitions are expressed by one qualitative adjectives, then one of them is placed closer to the noun being defined, which denotes a more stable feature, for example: huge black eyes, a pleasant light breeze, an interesting new story;

   5) if heterogeneous definitions are expressed by one relative adjectives, then, as a rule, they are arranged in the order of ascending semantic gradation (from a narrower concept to a broader one), for example: daily weather reports, antique bronzes, specialist bookstore.
   

3. An inconsistent definition is placed after the noun being defined, for example: expert opinion, leather-bound book, sequel novel. But definitions expressed by personal pronouns in the role of possessives come before the word being defined, for example: his objections, their statements.

   Putting an inconsistent definition expressed by a noun in front of the word being defined is an inversion, for example: medium sized bear(Gogol); general Zhukov yard(Chekhov).

   Prepositive inconsistent definitions, that is, those standing in front of the word being defined, were fixed in some stable turns, for example: watchmaker, senior lieutenant of the guard, kind-hearted person.

   Agreed definitions usually precede inconsistent ones, for example: high mahogany bed(L. Tolstoy); old tobacco eyes(Sergeev-Tsensky). But an inconsistent definition, expressed by a personal pronoun with a possessive meaning, usually precedes the agreed definition, for example: his last performance, their increased demands.

§ 180. Place of the complement in the sentence

1. The complement usually follows the control word, for example: proofread the manuscript, correct typographical errors, ready to type.

   An object (most often direct) expressed by a pronoun (personal, indefinite) can precede the control word without creating an inversion, for example: I liked the book; This sight startled him; The mother noticed something in her daughter's expression; I am glad to see you.

   Putting the complement in front of the control word usually has the character of an inversion, for example: Apothecary, maybe we'll see(Chekhov); The soul reaches for the high(V. Panova). Wed in live conversation: Someone asks you; Forgotten all their friends; Can you fix a TV?

   It is common to preposition an object with the meaning of a person in impersonal sentences, for example: He needs to talk to you; Sister is unwell; Everyone wanted to relax.
   

2. If there are several additions related to the same control word, a different word order is possible:

   1) usually a direct object precedes other additions, for example: Take the manuscript from the proofreader; Discuss the issue with your employees; The person who entered offered his hand to everyone present.;

   2) the indirect object of the person, standing in the dative case, usually precedes the direct object of the subject, for example: Tell us your address; The mother gave the child a beautiful toy; This woman saved Bekishev's life...(V. Panova).

   Similarly, the genitive case with the meaning of the actor (inconsistent definition) precedes the other case (in the role of an object), for example: visit of the son to his parents, memorandum of the author for the editor.
   

3. A direct object, coinciding in form with the subject, is usually placed after the predicate, for example: Mother loves daughter; The oar touched the dress; Laziness breeds carelessness; Courts uphold laws. When the subject and object are interchanged, the meaning of the sentence changes ( Daughter loves mother; The dress hit the paddle) or there is an ambiguity ( Carelessness breeds laziness; Laws Protect the Courts). Sometimes in such cases of inversion, the desired meaning is preserved, which follows from the lexical meaning of the named members of the sentence ( The bicycle crashed the tram; The sun covered the cloud), but the correct understanding of such sentences is somewhat difficult, therefore it is recommended either to keep the direct word order, or to replace the actual turnover with a passive one ( The bike is broken by a tram; The sun is covered by a cloud).

§ 181. Place of circumstances in a sentence

1. Circumstances about the training, expressed by adverbs in -o, -e , are usually placed in front of the verb-predicate, for example: The translation accurately reflects the content of the original; The boy looked defiantly at us; Gavryushka blushed deeply and protested violently...(Gladkov); The train station was moving faster and faster…(G. Nikolaeva); Pavement smoothly whitened(Antonov).

   Some adverbs that combine with few verbs are placed after them, for example: to walk, to lie prone, to walk barefoot, to fall on one's back, to walk.

   Usually, the circumstances of the course of action are postpositive, expressed by a noun in an adverbial sense, for example: to scatter in waves, to disperse in circles.

   The place of the circumstance of the mode of action may depend on the presence or absence of other secondary members in the sentence; compare: The climbers walked slowly. – Climbers slowly walked along a steep path.

   The means of semantic highlighting the circumstances of the mode of action or measure and degree is to put them at the beginning of a sentence or separate from the words to which they adjoin, for example: In vain Grigory tried to see Cossack lava on the horizon.(Sholokhov); Twice experienced this feeling Nikita(Fedin); Yes, we were very friendly.(L. Tolstoy).
   

2. Prepositive circumstances of measure and degree, for example: The announcer repeated the figures given in the text twice; The director is very busy; The manuscript is well prepared for typesetting..
3. The circumstance of tense usually precedes the verb-predicate, for example: We didn't talk much over dinner.(Turgenev); Belikov died a month later.(Chekhov); In the evenings the doctor was left alone(V. Panova).

   Often, however, the circumstance of time is postpositive, which contributes to its semantic separation, for example: My sister got up early; I came before dawn.
   

4. The circumstance of place is usually prepositive, and often appears at the beginning of a sentence, for example: The factory was unsettled...(Bitter); A cloud came from the west(Sholokhov).

   If the adverb of place is at the beginning of a sentence, then the predicate often immediately follows it, and then the subject, for example: To the right was the white building of the hospital...(Garshin); Unfamiliar smells of herbs and flowers rushed from everywhere ...(Serafimovich). However, under these conditions, a direct order of the main members of the sentence is also possible, for example: Over the gray plain of the sea the wind gathers clouds(Bitter).

   Setting the circumstance of the place after the predicate is the norm in those combinations in which the presence of the circumstance is necessary for the completeness of the statement, for example: The house is located on the outskirts of the city; His parents live permanently in the south.

   If a sentence contains a time adverb and a place adverb, then they are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence, with the adverb of time in the first place, and the adverb of place in the second, for example: Tomorrow, warm weather without precipitation is expected in our city; By evening, everything calmed down in the house.. The statement of two circumstances side by side emphasizes their semantic role in the sentence. Their other placement is also possible: in the first place the adverb of time is put, then the subject, followed by the predicate and, finally, the adverb of place and other members of the sentence, for example: In early April, the river opened up along its entire length; Yesterday I met my old friend on the street.
   

5. Circumstances of cause and purpose and more often come before the predicate, for example: Due to rough seas, the ship arrived late.(Chekhov); Two girls were crying in fear(V. Panova); A man with a bag on his back ... for a laugh, he pushed the other with his shoulder(Malyshkin).

   The statement of these circumstances after the verb-predicate usually leads to their semantic separation, for example: She woke up with fear; He does not go to work, allegedly due to illness; The train was sent to the depot for an annual repair.

§ 182. Location of introductory words, addresses, particles, prepositions

1. Not being members of the sentence, introductory words are freely located in it if they refer to the sentence as a whole; compare: He seemed to be asleep. – He seemed to fall asleep. – He seemed to fall asleep.

   At the same time, it should be noted that the semantic load of the introductory word in the above variants is not the same: to a greater extent it is noted in the first of them, where at the beginning of the sentence the word seemed in value it approaches a simple sentence as part of a non-union complex sentence; the last two options are equivalent.

   If the introductory word is related in meaning to a separate member of the sentence, then it is placed next to it, for example: A real bird began to appear, game, according to the hunters(Aksakov); Our dilapidated boat bent over, scooped up and solemnly went to the bottom, fortunately, in a shallow place(Turgenev).

   You should not put an introductory word between the preposition and the word that the preposition controls, for example: “The matter was in apparently right hands” (instead of: The case seemed to be in the right hands.).
   

2. Appeals are also freely located in the sentence, however, for their semantic and intonational allocation, the place they occupy in the sentence is not indifferent: the appeal at the beginning or at the end of the sentence is logically emphasized. Wed: Doctor, tell me what's wrong with my baby. – Tell me doctor what's wrong with my baby. – Tell me what's up with my baby doctor.

   In appeals, slogans, appeals, orders, oratory speeches, official and personal letters, the appeal, as a rule, is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

   The same in poetic speech, and the appeal is often distinguished into an independent sentence, for example: A pale young man with burning eyes! Now I give you three testaments(Bryusov); My dear mother earth, my forest side, the land suffering in captivity! I will come - I just don’t know the day, but I will come, I will return you(Twardowski). Wed broken treatment with the main part at the end of the sentence: For blood and tears, thirsting for retribution, we see you, the forty-first year(Schipachev).
   

3. Particles, as a rule, stand before the word to which they refer in meaning. Wed:

   A) This book is difficult even for him(we are talking about difficulties for a qualified person);

   b) This book even difficult for him(the unexpectedness of the difficulty is emphasized);

   V) Even this book is difficult for him(We are talking about an unprepared reader).

   Particle still postpositive ( pretty insisted), but to emphasize the meaning, sometimes in colloquial speech it is placed before the verb, for example: The state adviser, although he himself disappeared, but still killed his comrade(Gogol); Elena said nothing, and I did lock her up this time too.(Dostoevsky).
   

4. The separation of the preposition from the controlled noun in constructions like: “I will come with a few more comrades” is unsuccessful (instead of: I will come with a few more friends); “Export volume has declined from about…; increased to about…” (instead of: … decreased from about …; increased to about...).

   You should not put two prepositions in a row, for example: “In one of the letters received from you ...” (instead of: In one of the letters I received from you...); "Pay attention to outstanding work in all respects" (instead of: Pay attention to outstanding work in all respects).

   In combinations of a noun with a numeral, denoting an approximate amount, the preposition is placed between the named parts of speech ( ten minutes later, twenty steps away), and not before the whole combination (“in ten minutes”, “in twenty steps”).

Grammatical transformations

Translation from one language to another is impossible without grammatical transformations. Grammatical transformations are primarily the restructuring of a sentence (changing its structure) and all kinds of substitutions - both syntactic and morphological. Grammatical transformations are caused by various reasons - both purely grammatical and lexical in nature, although grammatical factors play the main role, that is, differences in the structure of languages.

When comparing the grammatical categories and forms of the English and Russian languages, the following phenomena are usually found: 1) the absence of a particular category in one of the languages; 2) partial match; 3) complete match. The need for grammatical transformations naturally arises only in the first and second cases. In Russian, in comparison with English, there are no such grammatical categories as articles or gerunds, as well as infinitive and participial complexes and an absolute nominative construction. Partial coincidence or discrepancy in the meaning and use of the corresponding forms and constructions also requires grammatical transformations. This includes such phenomena as a partial mismatch in the category of number, a partial mismatch in the forms of a passive construction, an incomplete match in the forms of the infinitive and participle, some differences in the expression of modality, etc.

First of all, we will focus on the article, because the article (both definite and indefinite), despite its extremely abstract meaning, often requires semantic expression in translation. As you know, both articles have a pronominal origin: the definite article comes from the demonstrative pronoun, and the indefinite article comes from the indefinite pronoun, which goes back to the numeral one. These original meanings of the articles sometimes appear in their modern usage. In such cases, their lexical meaning must be conveyed in translation, otherwise the Russian sentence would be incomplete and inaccurate, since the denotative meaning of the articles is semantically an integral part of the entire semantic content of the sentence (3). Its historical connection with the numeral one in the following example is very clear:

Yet H. G. (Wells) had not an enemy on earth. (G. B. Shaw)

However, Herbert did not have a single enemy in the world.

The meaning of the definite article also often requires transmission in translation, especially when it comes before a numeral.

Only in the fields where talent cannot be hidden have the young conquered - the theatre, music, football, computers, physics, fashion. ("Daily Mail")

Young people are promoted only in those cases when it is impossible to hide natural talent (meaning theater, music, football, electronics, physics, fashion).

From all the above translations, it is clear that ignoring the lexical and sometimes grammatical meaning of the article in translation would lead to an incomplete or inaccurate transfer of content.

There are no infinitive complexes in Russian, which are so common in English. Consider only the translation of the infinitive complex with the preposition for.

On its return journey the spacecraft must be accelerated to some 25,000 m.p.h. for it to enter the earth's orbit. ("The Times")

On reentry, the spacecraft's speed must be brought up to about 25,000 miles per hour in order for it to enter Earth orbit.

In this case, the infinitive complex is translated by a clause of purpose.

However, very often grammatical transformations are also necessary in the transfer of the corresponding forms and constructions due to some discrepancies in their meaning and use. Such discrepancies are observed, for example, in the use of the category of number.

United Nations Secretary General U Thant has strongly criticized South Africa, Rhodesia and Portugal for their policies in Africa. ("Morning Star")

UN Secretary-General U Thant severely criticized South Africa, Rhodesia and Portugal for their policies in Africa.

The noun "politics" does not have a plural, because the word "politics" is the plural form of the noun "politician" - a politician.

As for uncountable nouns, especially those that express abstract concepts, the number of mismatches may be higher here. For example: ink - ink, money - money, watch - watch, news - news, and vice versa: to keep the minutes - keep a record, to live in the suburbs - live in the suburbs, on the outskirts - on the outskirts, grapes - grapes, shrimp - shrimp, etc.

The discrepancy is also found in some cases of the use of the infinitive. The Russian infinitive has neither a perfect nor a continuous form.

Thus, all the phenomena considered - the absence of an appropriate form, partial coincidence, differences in the nature and use of the form - necessitate grammatical transformations in translation. Grammatical transformations can be divided into two types: permutations and substitutions.

1. Permutations

Permutation as a type of translation transformation is a change in the location (order) of language elements in the translation text compared to the original text. Elements that can be rearranged: words, phrases, parts of a complex sentence, independent sentences.

The permutations are due to a number of reasons, the main of which is the difference in the structure (word order) of the sentence in English and Russian. An English sentence usually begins with a subject (or subject group) followed by a predicate (predicate group), i.e. the rheme - the center of the message (the most important) - comes first. Topic (secondary information) - circumstances (place and time) are most often located at the end of the sentence.

The word order of the Russian sentence is different: at the beginning of the sentence there are often secondary members (circumstances of time and place), followed by the predicate, and only at the end - the subject. This should be taken into account when translating. This phenomenon is known as "communicative sentence division".

The most common case of permutation is a change in the order of words and phrases in the structure of a sentence, associated with communicative articulation:

Molasses buckets appeared from nowhere.

No one knows where the molasses buckets came from.

In the process of translation, a permutation of a word from one sentence to another can be observed, as in the following example:

I put on this hat that I "d bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks.

I... put on the red hat I bought in New York this morning. It was a hunting hat, with a very, very long visor.

The need for such a transfer in this case is due to the repetition of the noun “hat”, to which the permuted adjective “red” refers, in two adjacent sentences.

Often, when translating, there is a change in the order of the parts of a complex sentence - the main and subordinate (subordinate) sentences:

If he ever gets married, his own wife"ll probably call him "Ackley".

Probably his wife would call him "Ackley" too, if he ever got married.

The English subordinate clause precedes the main clause, while in the Russian translation, on the contrary, the main clause precedes the subordinate clause. The opposite cases are also possible.

Independent sentences in the text can also be rearranged.

“You goin' to court this morning?” asked Jem.

We approached her fence. - Are you going to court? Jim asked.

The need for rearrangement in this case is due to the fact that the Past Perfect form in the second sentence of the English text expresses the meaning of the precedence of this action in relation to the action indicated in the first sentence. Since the Russian form “approached” does not express such a meaning, the preservation of the original order of the sentences in the translation could lead to a semantic distortion (the action denoted by the verb “approached” would be perceived as subsequent, in relation to the action expressed by the verb “asked”) .

Permutations (as a type of translation transformation) are quite common, often accompanied by other types of translation transformations.

Permutation as a type of translation transformation is a change in the location (order) of language elements in the translation text compared to the original text. Elements that can be rearranged: words, phrases, parts of a complex sentence, independent sentences.

The permutations are due to a number of reasons, the main of which is the difference in the structure (word order) of the sentence in English and Russian. An English sentence usually begins with a subject (or subject group) followed by a predicate (predicate group), i.e. the rheme - the center of the message (the most important) - comes first. Topic (secondary information) - circumstances (place and time) are most often located at the end of the sentence.

The word order of the Russian sentence is different: at the beginning of the sentence there are often secondary members (circumstances of time and place), followed by the predicate, and only at the end - the subject. This should be taken into account when translating. This phenomenon is known as "communicative sentence division".

The most common case of permutation is a change in the order of words and phrases in the structure of a sentence, associated with communicative articulation:

Molasses buckets appeared from nowhere.

No one knows where the molasses buckets came from.

In the process of translation, a permutation of a word from one sentence to another can be observed, as in the following example:

I put on this hat that I "d bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat, with one of those very, very long peaks.

I... put on the red hat I bought in New York this morning. It was a hunting hat, with a very, very long visor.

The need for such a transfer in this case is due to the repetition of the noun “hat”, to which the permuted adjective “red” refers, in two adjacent sentences.

Often, when translating, there is a change in the order of the parts of a complex sentence - the main and subordinate (subordinate) sentences:

If he ever gets married, his own wife"ll probably call him "Ackley".

Probably his wife would call him "Ackley" too, if he ever got married.

The English subordinate clause precedes the main clause, while in the Russian translation, on the contrary, the main clause precedes the subordinate clause. The opposite cases are also possible.

Independent sentences in the text can also be rearranged.

“You goin' to court this morning?” asked Jem.

We approached her fence. - Are you going to court? Jim asked.

The need for rearrangement in this case is due to the fact that the Past Perfect form in the second sentence of the English text expresses the meaning of the precedence of this action in relation to the action indicated in the first sentence. Since the Russian form “approached” does not express such a meaning, the preservation of the original order of the sentences in the translation could lead to a semantic distortion (the action denoted by the verb “approached” would be perceived as subsequent, in relation to the action expressed by the verb “asked”) .

Permutations (as a type of translation transformation) are quite common, often accompanied by other types of translation transformations.