The phrases write down it and write it down seem to be just in the order of the words, but their meanings and usages are very different. In English, write down is a verb phrase meaning "to write down", which can be paired with a noun or a pronoun as an object. However, if the object is a pronoun, like it, then it must be placed in the middle of the verb and adverb, not later. That is, write it down is correct and write down it is wrong. This is a rule of English grammar that we must follow. Let's take a look at the reasons and examples of this rule.
Write down it is wrong because it violates a grammatical phenomenon called "dissociative verb phrases". What is a separating verb phrase? To put it simply, it is a phrase composed of a verb and an adverb or preposition, which can be together or separated, such as turn on, look after, give up, etc. The peculiarity of these phrases is that they do not mean the same thing as a verb or adverb or preposition alone, but instead form a new concept. For example, turn on does not mean a combination of "turn" and "in", but "open, open". When these phrases are used, sometimes the object can be placed in the middle, and sometimes the object can be placed at the back, which is the meaning of separation. For example, we can say:
turn on the light.(put the object behind).
turn it on.(put the object in the middle).
Both of these sentences mean "turn on the lights" and there is no difference. However, if the object is a pronoun, such as it, then it can only be placed in the middle, not later. That is, we can't say:
turn on it.(Wrong).
This sentence is grammatically inappropriate and sounds strange. Why? This is because the pronoun is a weakened word, it has no accent, and it does not have a clear referent, so it cannot be placed at the end of the sentence, otherwise it will cause ambiguity and imbalance in semantics. Therefore, we must put the pronoun between the verb and the adverb or preposition, so that it is closely related to the verb phrase, so that the meaning can be clearly expressed. This is an important rule for separating verb phrases.
Write down is also a separating verb phrase that means "to write down, to write down". It also follows this rule, so, if the object is a pronoun, like it, then it must be placed in the middle, not later. That is, we can say:
write down the answer.(put the object behind).
write it down.(put the object in the middle).
Both sentences mean "write down the answer", there is no difference. However, we can't say:
write down it.(Wrong).
This sentence is grammatically inappropriate and sounds strange. So, write down it is wrong, while write it down is correct.
To better understand the difference between write down it and write it down, let's look at some specific examples. Note that write down it is wrong, so we mark it with an asterisk, and write it down is correct, so we don't use it.
write down it on a piece of **false).
write it down on a piece of **correct).
write down it in your notebook.(Wrong).
write it down in your notebook.(Correct).
write down it before you forget.(Wrong).
write it down before you forget.(Correct).
From these examples, we can see that write down it and write it down mean the same thing, both are "write it", but write down it is syntactically non-syntactic, and write it down is syntactically compliant. Therefore, when we use it, we must pay attention to the distinction and do not confuse.
The difference between write down it and write it down is that write down it is wrong, while write it down is correct. This is because write down is a separating verb phrase, and if its object is a pronoun, such as it, then it must be placed in the middle, not later. This is a rule of English grammar that we must follow. I hope this article can help you understand this problem, if you have any other questions, please leave a message to discuss. Thank you!