The standard order of words in an English sentence is subject + verb + object. While this sounds simple, there are far more complicated sentences where placing the words in the right order may turn out quite challenging.
Here we have prepared three types of interactive exercises created on Learning Apps and suitable for the Intermediate level.
Task 1. Choose the correct word order of the sentences
This exercise presents two options of sentences in which one sentence has the correct word order while the other does not. Here students get a general understanding of word order in English.
Task 2. Put the words in the correct order
Here students go deeper and have more practice with the word order in English. In the exercise, they will find examples with different types of adjectives, adverbs, indirect questions, etc.
Task 3. Complete the questions with the correct question tags
The last exercise aims to check how well your students know the rules of question tags.
Share with us in the comments below how effective the exercises were and how you usually practise word order with your Intermediate students.
Read as well:
1 Police stopped a woman driving …………. .
a dangerously in the city last night
b in the city dangerously last night
c in the city last night dangerously
2 …………. the new airport.
a Tomorrow the president is going to open
b The president tomorrow is going to open
c The president is going to tomorrow open
3 Most teenagers don’t do …………. .
a outside enough sport these days
b these days enough sport outside
c enough sport outside these days
4 Lynn Green played …………. .
a chess well last Tuesday
b chess last Tuesday well
c well chess last Tuesday
5 13-year-old Harry White has made over £1 million buying and selling on the Internet. ‘I spend ………….,’ he said.
a at the moment all my free time there
b all my free time there at the moment
c there all my free time at the moment
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Click here to download this printable exercise in PDF. Answers are at the bottom of the page.
Put the words in the correct order to make sentences
Exercise 5
Ex: green I bike my . → My bike is green.
1. before they friends used to be .
→
2. go often to how do you cinema the ?
→
3. do my after I dinner always homework .
→
4. how sisters got brother and have you many ?
→
5. does cooking Sundays on my sister the .
→
6. to always the take bus school we .
→
7. man hat with is the red who the ?
→
8. you speak who to did ?
→
9. lost bag before I my the yesterday day.
→
10. are make when people they sad I laugh .
→
11. movie enjoy did the you ?
→
12. was near the there a tree river .
→
13. one like do you which ?
→
14. around the goes the earth sun .
→
15. on are sofa my the parents sitting .
→
16. from you where are ?
→
17. now going am home I .
→
18. is raining it not .
→
19. you do live where ?
→
20. broke he glasses my .
→
ANSWERS
- They used to be friends before.
- How often do you go to the cinema?
- I always do my homework after dinner.
- How many brother and sisters have you got?
- My sister does the cooking on Sundays.
- We always take the bus to school.
- Who is the man with the red hat?
- Who did you speak to?
- I lost my bag the day before yesterday.
- I make people laugh when they are sad.
- Did you enjoy the movie?
- There was a tree near the river.
- Which one do you like?
- The earth goes around the sun.
- My parents are sitting on the sofa.
- Where are you from?
- I am going home now.
- It is not raining.
- Where do you live?
- He broke my glasses.
Tags: Worksheet
Andy and Jane came home from shopping on Saturday to find their house had been burgled. A police officer has come to investigate the crime.
OFFICER: You say you’re not sure how the thieves got in. Before I look round, can I ask you a few questions about the house?
ANDY: Of course.
OFFICER: (1) Do you lock the front door when you go out? (always)
…Do you always lock the front door when you go out?……
ANDY: (2) Yes, and I locked it yesterday. (definitely)
…Yes, and I definitely locked it yesterday. ……
OFFICER: OK. What about the windows?
ANDY: (3) Well, the downstairs ones are locked. (always)
……………………………………………………..
JANE: (4) We have a lock on the little one in the hall. (even)
……………………………………………………..
OFFICER: And upstairs?
JANE: (5) Well, I think most of the windows were locked. (probably)
……………………………………………………..
ANDY: (6) They were locked on Friday. (all)
……………………………………………………..
JANE: Are you sure?
ANDY: (7) Yes, I knew we would be out all day, so I checked them all. (both)
……………………………………………………..
OFFICER: And you didn’t open any on Friday night?
ANDY: (8) No, I didn’t. (certainly)
……………………………………………………..
OFFICER: Well, let’s have a look round.
Read the word order rules and tendencies and then try the practice exercise.
Rules and Tendencies
- For expressions of time and place, the order is subject + verb + object + place + time.
I write my reports at my desk every morning. (subject/verb/object/place/time)
Kate swims laps in the pool every night. (subject/verb/object/place/time)
- We put adverbs of frequency before the main verb or after the verb to be.
Adverbs of frequency include always, usually, normally, generally, often, sometimes, never. Sometimes is an exception — it can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence.
John often gets to work early.
John is often here early.
Sometimes John gets to work early.
John sometimes gets to work early.
- We don’t normally put an adverb between a verb and its object.
I like English a lot.
I like a lot English.
- Some questions have prepositions at the end of clauses.
Where are you from?
What school did you go to?
What was the meeting about?
- The subject and verb must be inverted in a variety of situations. See this explanation from about.com.
Practice Exercise
Every sentence has a common word order mistake that English language learners make. Write the correct word order of the sentence in the blanks. More than one answer may be possible.
Additional word order exercises from around the web:
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/complex_tests/word_order1/task.php
http://www.better-english.com/grammar/wordorder.htm
http://www.autoenglish.org/mistakes/mis-order.pdf
WORD ORDER
- Put the words in the right order.
1. like, he, his homework, in the evening, doesn’t, he, to do
2. usually, we, on weekends, meet, friends, our
3. is, table, sitting, he, the, at
4. didn’t, to, Peter, party, the, go
5. in, we, New Year, celebrate, December
6. used, children, computer, play, to, games.
7. school, on, weekends, we, don’t, to, go
8. can, help, cake, to, the, I, you, cook
9. are, they, to, next, going, visit, Paris, summer
10. Mike, the, is, Internet, now, surfing
- Put the words in the right order in sentences.
1. to the park, go, I, won’t, I, have, if, much work
2. the weather, fine, is, if, tomorrow, will go, on, we, a picnic
3. if, save, enough, I, will, money, buy, car, a new
4.pass, my exams, I, if, will, to, I, the University, go
5. I, my work, when, finish, watch, I, TV, will
- Find mistakes in the sentences and write down correct ones.
1. My mother me walk after 9 o’clock told not to in the evening.
_________________________________________________________________
2. Michael promised with homework to help me.
_________________________________________________________________
3. were reading a book for two hours they.
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. We at 7 o’clock in the morning get up.
__________________________________________________________________
5. I usually don’t go on weekdays to the shop.
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