prudent260
1.They tried in vain to open the locked door.
2.They endeavoured to make her happy but in vain.
3.We searched in vain for the missing child.
These are sentences I found on an online sentence finder when I wanted to know how to use 'in vain'.
1. They tried 'in vain; to open the locked door.
2. They tried to open the locked door 'in vain'.
3. They tried to open the locked door, but in vain.
Are they all natural to you?
Thank you and good morning.
2021년 5월 8일 오후 10:04
답변 · 3
1
Hi,
I would say that they're all correct. I think it's most common for "in vain" to come right after the verb, like in the first sentence, "They tried in vain to open the locked door."
The least common and most formal are the sentences where "but in vain" appears at the end. ("They endeavored to make her happy, but in vain.") You would probably only find it used that way in formal written language, like in a novel.
2021년 5월 8일
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