wǒ xiān bǎ zhuōzi shàngmian de zīliào zhěnglǐ hǎo, zài kāishǐ xiě bàogào.

I’ll first arrange the materials on the desk, then start writing the report.

Breakdown of wǒ xiān bǎ zhuōzi shàngmian de zīliào zhěnglǐ hǎo, zài kāishǐ xiě bàogào.

• 我wǒ: I
• 好hǎo: well
• 的de: possessive particle
• 写xiě: to write

Questions & Answers about wǒ xiān bǎ zhuōzi shàngmian de zīliào zhěnglǐ hǎo, zài kāishǐ xiě bàogào.

Why is 把 used in this sentence?

把 is used to bring the object forward and emphasize what is being done to it.

In this sentence, the object is:

桌子上面的资料 = the materials on the desk

So:

我先把桌子上面的资料整理好 literally follows a pattern like:

I first take the materials on the desk and get them organized

The basic 把 pattern is:

Subject + 把 + object + verb/result

Here it is:

我 + 把 + 桌子上面的资料 + 整理好

Mandarin often uses 把 when the action clearly affects or changes the object in some way. Organizing the materials is exactly that kind of action.

What does 桌子上面的资料 mean as a whole?

It means:

the materials on top of the desk / the materials on the desk

It is built step by step like this:

• 桌子 = desk, table
• 上面 = on top, upper side
• 桌子上面 = on top of the desk
• 的 links that location to the noun it describes
• 资料 = materials, documents, data, reference materials

So:

桌子上面的资料 = the materials that are on the desk

This is a very common Mandarin pattern:

place + 的 + noun

For example:

• 桌子上的书 = the books on the table
• 墙上的照片 = the photos on the wall

Why is 的 needed in 桌子上面的资料?