规则20 把相关的词放在一起[rule-20]
句子中词的位置是表明它们关系的主要手段。词的位置不当时，就会产生混乱和歧义。因此，写作者必须把在思想上相关的词和词组放在一起，把关系不那么紧密的隔开。
- 误：He noticed a large stain in the rug that was right in the center.
- 正：He noticed a large stain right in the center of the rug.
- 误：You can call your mother in London and tell her all about George's taking you out to dinner for just two dollars.
- 正：For just two dollars you can call your mother in London and tell her all about George's taking you out to dinner.
- 误：New York's first commercial human-sperm bank opened Friday with semen samples from eighteen men frozen in a stainless steel tank.
- 正：New York's first commercial human-sperm bank opened Friday when semen samples were taken from eighteen men. The samples were then frozen and stored in a stainless steel tank.
在第一个例子的左边那种写法中，读者无法知道污渍是在地毯中央，还是地毯在房间中央。在第二个例子的左边那种写法中，读者很可能纳闷，到底是哪一样花了两美元——电话还是晚餐。在第三个例子的左边那种写法中，读者会同情那十八个可怜的家伙，他们被冻在了钢罐里。
一般说来，句子的主语和主要动词不应被一个可以移到句首的短语或子句隔开。
- 误：Toni Morrison, in Beloved, writes about characters who have escaped from slavery but are haunted by its heritage.
- 正：In Beloved, Toni Morrison writes about characters who have escaped from slavery but are haunted by its heritage.
- 误：A dog, if you fail to discipline him, becomes a household pest.
- 正：Unless disciplined, a dog becomes a household pest.
像上面左边那些例子那样插入一个短语或子句，会打断主句的流动。然而，当这种打断只是由一个关系从句或一个同位语表达造成时，通常并不令人困扰。有时，在圆周句中，这种打断是制造悬念的刻意手法。（见规则22下的例子。）
在大多数情况下，关系代词应紧跟在它的先行词之后。
- 误：There was a stir in the audience that suggested disapproval.
- 正：A stir that suggested disapproval swept the audience.
- 误：He wrote three articles about his adventures in Spain, which were published in Harper's Magazine.
- 正：He published three articles in Harper's Magazine about his adventures in Spain.
- 误：This is a portrait of Benjamin Harrison, who became President in 1889. He was the grandson of William Henry Harrison.
- 正：This is a portrait of Benjamin Harrison, grandson of William Henry Harrison, who became President in 1889.
如果先行词由一组词构成，关系词就放在这一组的末尾，除非这样会造成歧义。
The Superintendent of the Chicago Division, who
上面这句不会产生歧义。但是
A proposal to amend the Sherman Act, which has been variously judged
让读者弄不清受到各种评判的到底是这项提案还是这部法案。关系从句必须前移，读作“A proposal, which has been variously judged, to amend the Sherman Act…”。同样地，
- 误：The grandson of William Henry Harrison, who
- 正：William Henry Harrison's grandson, Benjamin Harrison, who
同位语名词可以出现在先行词和关系词之间，因为在这种组合中不会产生真正的歧义。
The Duke of York, his brother, who was regarded with hostility by the Whigs
修饰语应尽可能靠近它们所修饰的词。如果若干个表达修饰同一个词，它们的排列应使人不会联想到错误的关系。
- 误：All the members were not present.
- 正：Not all the members were present.
- 误：She only found two mistakes.
- 正：She found only two mistakes.
- 误：The director said he hoped all members would give generously to the Fund at a meeting of the committee yesterday.
- 正：At a meeting of the committee yesterday, the director said he hoped all members would give generously to the Fund.
- 误：Major R. E. Joyce will give a lecture on Tuesday evening in Bailey Hall, to which the public is invited on "My Experiences in Mesopotamia" at 8:00 p.m.
- 正：On Tuesday evening at eight, Major R. E. Joyce will give a lecture in Bailey Hall on "My Experiences in Mesopotamia." The public is invited.
注意，在最后一个左边例子中，词与词错误并列时，意义消散得有多快。