which is correct

[franklin xia]

which is correct "I don't think the people in texas could be easily scared"
"I don't think the people in texas could easily be scared"

 

[MrPedantic]

Hello Franklin, welcome to Using English!

1. I don't think the people in Texas could be easily scared.
2. I don't think the people in Texas could easily be scared.

Both versions are correct. For me, #1 puts more emphasis on "being scared", while #2 puts more emphasis on "easily". But other members might interpret it differently!

Best wishes,

MrP

 

[jctgf]

Hi,
Is the article mandatory before "people" in these sentences? Shouldn't it be used only when qualifying the noun? For example: "I don't think the people that work with IT in Texas..."...?
Thanks,
JC

 

[Anglika]

Hi,
Is the article mandatory before "people" in these sentences? Shouldn't it be used only when qualifying the noun? For example: "I don't think the people that work with IT in Texas..."...?
Thanks,
JC

If the sentence is referring to the general populace, then "the" is required. Without it, the implication is that not all people in Texas could be scared.