thumb

[ragan]

Can I say these in English?
1. The surgeons managed to sew his thumb back on.
2. The surgeons managed to sew back on his thumb.
3. The surgeons succeeded in sewing his thumb back on.

 

[Rover_KE]

#1 and #3 are grammatical; #2 is unnatural, though I'd say 're-attach/ing'. It's a more complicated process than putting a few stitches in.

 

[ragan]

Thanks a lot!

4. The surgeons managed to reattach his thumb back on.
5. The surgeons succeeded in reattaching his thumb back on.

 

[Tdol]

I would use a hyphen in re-attach as it is easier to read.