Editing Old English (section)

=== Syntax ===
Old English [[syntax]] is similar to [[English grammar|that of modern English]]. Some differences are consequences of the greater level of nominal and verbal inflection, allowing freer [[word order]].
* Default word order is [[verb-second]] in [[independent clause|main clauses]], and verb-final in [[subordinate clause]]s<ref>Øystein Heggelund (2007) Old English subordinate clauses and the shift to verb-medial order in English, English Studies, 88:3, pp.&nbsp;351–361</ref>
* No [[do-support|''do''-support]] in questions and negatives. Questions were usually formed by [[inversion (linguistics)|inverting]] [[subject (grammar)|subject]] and [[finite verb]], and negatives by placing ''ne'' before the finite verb, regardless of which verb.
* Multiple negatives can stack up in a sentence intensifying each other ([[negative concord]]).
* Sentences with subordinate clauses of the type "when X, Y" (e.g. "When I got home, I ate dinner") do not use a ''wh-''type conjunction, but rather a ''th-''type [[correlative conjunction]] such as {{lang|ang|þā}}, otherwise meaning "then" (e.g. {{lang|ang|þā X, þā Y}} in place of "when X, Y"). The ''wh-''words (or "hw-words" in Old English's case) are used only as [[interrogative]]s and as [[indefinite pronouns]].
* Similarly, ''wh-''forms were not used as [[relative pronoun]]s; instead, the indeclinable word {{lang|ang|þe}} is used, often preceded by (or replaced by) the appropriate form of the article/demonstrative {{lang|ang|se}}.