Okay, I'm having trouble with two sentences that have the same exact problem as far as I can tell. The problem is in bold: 1.) He pulled his checkbook out to pay the man. and... 2.) He blew air out before making his decision. Aside from the fact, there are better ways to phrase these two things, I'm just trying to figure out if there are hard rules here. Can I reverse "checkbook" and "out" so that it reads, "He pulled out his checkbook to pay the man."? And the same for the other sentence, "He blew out air before making his decision." Are either acceptable? Or do I have to be strict here? Any help appreciated.
Both options are equally valid. Personally, my reading comprehension is slightly better when the verb and the noun are as close together as possible.
