Words often switch order in English

More than 15,000 common English words were borrowed from French during the course of several centuries. Some terms retain their French form and spelling: fait accompli, rendezvous, tête à tête. Thousands of other words have been Anglicized — courage, dignity, easy, forest, fool, fruit, male, sacrifice, secret, sober. Even our lowly biscuit is a French borrowing. It means “twice cooked”— bis (twice) + cuit (cooked). Usually borrowings from French and other languages did not affect the structure of English. Usually borrowings from French and other languages did not affect the structure of English. But there are some exceptions. Under French influence, we say Surgeon General (instead of general surgeon), Postmaster General (not general postmaster. Before English-speaking settlers came into contact with Spanish speakers in the Southwest, terms dealing with cattle and herding were pure English. Thus in the Revolutionary War there was a battle of “Cowpens.” Spanish “Corral” replaced the English term. A cattle owner was a “stockman” in pre-Spanish times; later “rancher,” based on the Spanish word ranchero, became more popular. Rodeo means “roundup” and replaced the old English term in many cases. “Cowboy,” a translation of vaquero, replaced “herder,” but English “drover” survived...read more