prep sc question

[RonPurewal]

if "where" were incorrect, then "nowhere" would be incorrect for exactly the same reason. "nowhere" is in the correct choice, so there's the answer to your question.

[RonPurewal]

^^ note that you are NOT faced with this decision (since "nowhere" is in every choice).

this usage is justified because "in literature" is a location where you see something. ("Where did you read _____?" "I read it in [book/magazine/newspaper/etc.])

[RonPurewal]

also of note (and much more straightforward) is the fact that, in choice a, "nowhere" + "where" = redundancy.

[sdfsdfsdfs481]

Hi Ron,

What is the meaning of the sentence?

Is it correct?
The influence of Jane Austen is more apparent nowhere in early American literature than in the novels of James Fenimore Cooper.

I'm always confused by this kind of inverted sentences because it is really hard to position the subject and verb.

Is there any tip to read this kind of inverted sentences?

thanks.

[RonPurewal]

it is really hard to position the subject and verb.

i can't tell what you mean here. you might be saying one of two things:

1/
'it's hard to find the subject and verb'
hopefully you're not saying this, because ... well, no.
in this whole sentence there is just one verb ('is'), so 'finding the verb' is trivial.
and then, once you've found the verb, you should know what the subject is, from your initial reading.

if you don't know what the subject is, then you're doing the initial reading with the wrong priorities. DO NOT think about mechanics AT ALL when you first read the sentence. think ONLY about intended meaning.
in other words, read the sentence in exactly the same way you'd read a sentence in a book or magazine.

2/
'it's hard to decide where the subject and verb should go'
...well, luckily, you don't have to do this, because there are multiple-choice options.

[sdfsdfsdfs481]

it is really hard to position the subject and verb.

i can't tell what you mean here. you might be saying one of two things:

1/
'it's hard to find the subject and verb'
hopefully you're not saying this, because ... well, no.
in this whole sentence there is just one verb ('is'), so 'finding the verb' is trivial.
and then, once you've found the verb, you should know what the subject is, from your initial reading.

if you don't know what the subject is, then you're doing the initial reading with the wrong priorities. DO NOT think about mechanics AT ALL when you first read the sentence. think ONLY about intended meaning.
in other words, read the sentence in exactly the same way you'd read a sentence in a book or magazine.

2/
'it's hard to decide where the subject and verb should go'
...well, luckily, you don't have to do this, because there are multiple-choice options.

Basically in English the subject is in front of a verb, but sometimes the verb goes in front of the subject. This irregular order of subject-verb disturbs my reading, making it hard for me to know the intended meaning.

[RonPurewal]

i'll grant that this kind of structure may be unfamiliar—but, still, it should NOT be difficult to figure out the intended meaning.

if it's 'difficult to figure out the intended meaning' then ...
...1/ you're not thinking about the meaning—you're thinking about grammar (BIG MISTAKE on your initial reading),
or
...2/ you're READING TOO FAST,
or
...3/ both.

if you saw a similar-looking sentence in a book or magazine, i doubt you would have any trouble figuring it out. in fact, you might not even notice the 'weird' construction at all!