PQRS arrangement with indirect speech — Order the pieces to state that he had read Milton in a prose translation borrowed from his teacher and had enjoyed it immensely, maintaining natural modifier placement.

Given data

• P: ‘‘and enjoyed it immensely’’
• Q: ‘‘in a prose translation’’
• R: ‘‘he had read Milton’’
• S: ‘‘which he had borrowed from his teacher’’

Concept/ApproachState the core action first, add the manner/medium, then attach the defining relative clause, and finally the coordinated result.

Step-by-step constructionR: ‘‘he had read Milton …’’Q: ‘‘… in a prose translation …’’S: ‘‘… which he had borrowed from his teacher …’’P: ‘‘… and enjoyed it immensely.’’Full sentence: ‘‘He told us that he had read Milton in a prose translation which he had borrowed from his teacher and enjoyed it immensely.’’

Why other orders are wrongPlacing P before the relative clause can obscure the antecedent of ‘‘it’’; RQSP preserves clarity.

Common pitfallsKeep the relative clause adjacent to the noun it qualifies (‘‘translation’’).

Final AnswerRQSP