Notē: The post-verbal locative phrase indicates where an object ends up as a result of an action. When a post-verbal locative phrase is used, the sentence usually uses the b[a construction. How does a pre-verbal locative phrase differ from a post-verbal one in its role in the sentence? Compare the following two sentences.
In Sentence 3A, the object, 刀子, is one that both the speaker and the listener know, not a generic reference. It may be right in front of them. In Sentence 3B, it is not important which knife is to be placed on the right. The speaker only wants a knife to be placed on the right. The knife may not be in the presence of the speaker and the listener. The example shows that ‘the more prominent the referent of the direct object is the more appropriate it is to use a bǎ noun phrase to refer to it '(Charles Li 1981: 484). Below are examples of common errors associated with the locative phrase in this type of 把 sentences.