may not easily be understood vs may not be easily understood

Both phrases are correct, but the placement of the adverb 'easily' can vary depending on the emphasis the speaker wants to convey. 'May not easily be understood' emphasizes the difficulty of understanding, while 'may not be easily understood' places less emphasis on the difficulty. Both constructions are commonly used in English.

Last updated: March 26, 2024 • 1748 views

may not easily be understood

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English. It emphasizes the difficulty of understanding.

This phrase is used when the speaker wants to emphasize the difficulty of understanding something. The adverb 'easily' is placed before the main verb 'be understood.'

Examples:

The complex scientific concepts may not easily be understood by the general public.
The legal jargon in the contract may not easily be understood by non-lawyers.

Show examples from the web [+]

It is preferable not to refer to the "rule of speciality" as it may not be easily understood.
So the significance of the Directive can easily be understood.
These procedures are bureaucratic and are not easily understood, particularly by SMEs.
The current procedures for assessing potentially eligible assets are not regarded as transparent and are not easily understood by third parties.
Dance, circus and opera productions which can easily be understood by people of all nations tour around Europe more than theatre, which comes up against linguistic barriers.
Article 14 of this directive states that information to be shown on the label should be in a language that will easily be understood by the consumer.
The information needed to control machinery must be unambiguous and easily understood.
All of us easily understood the acronym.
We connect events and emotions and instinctively transform them into a sequence that can be easily understood.
This regulation should lead to consumers having clear, legible and easily understood information allowing them to make fully informed food choices.
Technical conservation measures must be easily understood and they must be uncomplicated to enforce.
Princes are different from us, and are not to be easily understood.
Katherine was just drawing a comparison so that her point could be more easily understood.
This needs to be visible and easily understood.
Such important signals are easily understood throughout Asia as well as in other countries.
Europass will help people make their qualifications and competences clearly and easily understood throughout Europe.
The committee wants the information on the product in a language that can be easily understood by consumers.
The information needed to control machinery must be provided in a form that is unambiguous and easily understood.
It shall be located and orientated so as to be easily understood.
Formulae used, inserted and resulting values should be displayed in an easily understood manner.

Alternatives:

may not be easily understood
may be not easily understood
may not be understood easily
may be understood not easily
may not be readily understood

may not be easily understood

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English. It places less emphasis on the difficulty of understanding.

This phrase is used when the speaker wants to convey that something may not be understood without emphasizing the difficulty. The adverb 'easily' is placed after the auxiliary verb 'be.'

Examples:

The instructions may not be easily understood by beginners.
The implications of the decision may not be easily understood at first glance.

Show examples from the web [+]

It is preferable not to refer to the "rule of speciality" as it may not be easily understood.
We connect events and emotions and instinctively transform them into a sequence that can be easily understood.
Technical conservation measures must be easily understood and they must be uncomplicated to enforce.
Princes are different from us, and are not to be easily understood.
The committee wants the information on the product in a language that can be easily understood by consumers.
It shall be located and orientated so as to be easily understood.
Definitions used in the Directive should be easily understood and should not result in any uncertainty as to their meaning.
Those requirements, however, need to be easily understood by enforcement authorities, travellers and the general public.
The information and instructions provided by the manufacturer should be easily understood and applied by the user.
It shall be structured and written in such a way that it can be easily understood by the average investor.
MEPs want the information on the product to be worded in a language that can be easily understood by consumers.
Having a simpler set of rules that can be easily understood by stakeholders would foster compliance.
Visual display units or any other interactive means of communication between the operator and the machine must be easily understood and easy to use.
But this logical, non-discriminatory principle, which could be easily implemented, does not seem to be easily understood by everybody.
Consequently other, simple criteria which may be easily understood by operators and easily controlled by administrations should be used in such sectors, either instead of the value-added criterion or as an alternative to it.
Manufacturers shall ensure that the toy is accompanied by instructions and safety information in a language which can be easily understood by consumers and other end-users, as determined by the Member State concerned.
Mr President, obviously we welcome this report because it serves to harmonize driving licences and develop a system of codes which can be easily understood by all authorities throughout the EU.
For this reason it is important for the information on the label to be easily understood by the average consumer, including allergic consumers.
If the energy consumption label is introduced, then provided that it can be easily understood, it will soon become clear whether or not it will really be accepted by consumers.
In this context I consider it essential for sustainable development indicators to be developed and improved: they need to be easily understood and accessible to the general public.

Alternatives:

may not easily be understood
may be not easily understood
may not be understood easily
may be understood not easily
may not be readily understood

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may not easily be understood vs may not be easily understood