One Place Where Vim's Grammar Runs Backwards

To delete a word with dw, you press d and then w. The doing comes first, the how-far comes second. In visual mode, though, you select three lines and then press d.

Vim keys are built verb first, object second. Visual mode is the one place that turns it around. The range comes first and the action comes last. That is the same order as dragging across text with a mouse and then right-clicking. Visual mode was not in the original vi; Vim added it later, and it is where people arriving from other editors find their first foothold.

Because the order can be flipped, you can always fall back on picking with your eyes. Vim leaves that one door open.