English grammar in use word order

ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE

UNIT 109. Word order 1: verb + object; place and time

A	Verb +object The verb and the object normally go together. We do not usually put other words between them:
B	Place and time Usually the verb and the place (where?) go together: go home live in a city walk to work etc. If the verb has an object, the place comes after the verb+ object: take somebody home meet a friend in the street Time (when? /how often? /how long?) usually goes after place: It is often possible to put time at the beginning of the sentence: √ On Monday I’m going to Paris. Every morning Ben walks to work. √ Some time words {for example, always/never/usually) go with the verb in the middle of the sentence. See Unit 110.

EXERCISES

109.1	Is the word order right or wrong? Correct the sentences where necessary. 1 Everybody enjoyed the party very much. _____ OK ____________ 2 Ben walks every morning to work. __Ben walks to work every morning _ 3 Joe doesn’t like very much football. I drink three or four cups of coffee every morning. I ate quickly my breakfast and went out. Are you going to invite to the party a lot of people? I phoned Tom immediately after hearing the news. Did you go late to bed last night? Did you learn a lot of things at school today? I met on my way home a friend of mine _______________________________ 4 _______________________________ 5 _______________________________ 6 _______________________________ 7 _______________________________ 8 _______________________________ 9 _______________________________ 10 _______________________________
109.2	Put the parts of the sentence in the correct order. 1 (the party /very much /everybody enjoyed) ___Everybody enjoyed the party very much _________. 2 (we won /easily /the game) ________________________________________  (quietly /the door /I closed) ________________________________________  (Tanya /quite well /speaks /German) ________________________________________ 3 4 5 (Sam / all the time /TV /watches) ________________________________________ (again /please don’t ask /that question) ________________________________________  (football /every weekend /does Kevin play?) ________________________________________  (some money /I borrowed /from a friend of mine) ________________________________________ 6 7 8
109.3	Complete the sentences. Put the parts in the correct order. 1 (for a long time /have lived /in the same house) They ____ have lived in the same house for a long time. ___________________________ 2 (to the supermarket /every Friday /go) I ___________________________________________ 3 (home /did you come /so late) Why ___________________________________________ ? 4 (her children /takes /every day /to school) Sarah ___________________________________________. 5 (been /recently /to the cinema) I haven’t ___________________________________________. 6 (at the top of the page /your name /write) Please ___________________________________________. 7 (her name /after a few minutes /remembered) I ___________________________________________. 8 (around the town / all morning /walked) We ___________________________________________. 9 (on Saturday night /didn’t see you /at the party) I ___________________________________________. 10 (some interesting books /found /in the library) We ___________________________________________. 11 (her umbrella /last night /in a restaurant /left) Laura ___________________________________________. 12 (opposite the park /a new hotel /are building) They ___________________________________________.

ANSWER KEY

Normally, sentences in the English language take a simple form. However, there are times it would be a little complex. In these cases, the basic rules for how words appear in a sentence can help you.

Word order typically refers to the way the words in a sentence are arranged. In the English language, the order of words is important if you wish to accurately and effectively communicate your thoughts and ideas.

Although there are some exceptions to these rules, this article aims to outline some basic sentence structures that can be used as templates. Also, the article provides the rules for the ordering of adverbs and adjectives in English sentences.

Basic Sentence Structure and word order rules in English

For English sentences, the simple rule of thumb is that the subject should always come before the verb followed by the object. This rule is usually referred to as the SVO word order, and then most sentences must conform to this. However, it is essential to know that this rule only applies to sentences that have a subject, verb, and object.

For example

Subject + Verb + Object

He loves food

She killed the rat

Sentences are usually made of at least one clause. A clause is a string of words with a subject(noun) and a predicate (verb). A sentence with just one clause is referred to as a simple sentence, while those with more than one clause are referred to as compound sentences, complex sentences, or compound-complex sentences.

The following is an explanation and example of the most commonly used clause patterns in the English language.

Inversion

The English word order is inverted in questions. The subject changes its place in a question. Also, English questions usually begin with a verb or a helping verb if the verb is complex.

For example

Verb + Subject + object

Can you finish the assignment?

Did you go to work?

Intransitive Verbs

Some sentences use verbs that require no object or nothing else to follow them. These verbs are generally referred to as intransitive verbs. With intransitive verbs, you can form the most basic sentences since all that is required is a subject (made of one noun) and a predicate (made of one verb).

For example

Subject + verb

John eats

Christine fights

Linking Verbs

Linking verbs are verbs that connect a subject to the quality of the subject. Sentences that use linking verbs usually contain a subject, the linking verb and a subject complement or predicate adjective in this order.

For example

Subject + verb + Subject complement/Predicate adjective

The dress was beautiful

Her voice was amazing

Transitive Verbs

Transitive verbs are verbs that tell what the subject did to something else. Sentences that use transitive verbs usually contain a subject, the transitive verb, and a direct object, usually in this order.

For example

Subject + Verb + Direct object

The father slapped his son

The teacher questioned his students

Indirect Objects

Sentences with transitive verbs can have a mixture of direct and indirect objects. Indirect objects are usually the receiver of the action or the audience of the direct object.

For example

Subject + Verb + IndirectObject + DirectObject

He gave the man a good job.

The singer gave the crowd a spectacular concert.

The order of direct and indirect objects can also be reversed. However, for the reversal of the order, there needs to be the inclusion of the preposition “to” before the indirect object. The addition of the preposition transforms the indirect object into what is called a prepositional phrase.

For example

Subject + Verb + DirectObject + Preposition + IndirectObject

He gave a lot of money to the man

The singer gave a spectacular concert to the crowd.

Adverbials

Adverbs are phrases or words that modify or qualify a verb, adjective, or other adverbs. They typically provide information on the when, where, how, and why of an action. Adverbs are usually very difficult to place as they can be in different positions in a sentence. Changing the placement of an adverb in a sentence can change the meaning or emphasis of that sentence.

Therefore, adverbials should be placed as close as possible to the things they modify, generally before the verbs.

For example

He hastily went to work.

He hurriedly ate his food.

However, if the verb is transitive, then the adverb should come after the transitive verb.

For example

John sat uncomfortably in the examination exam.

She spoke quietly in the class

The adverb of place is usually placed before the adverb of time

For example

John goes to work every morning

They arrived at school very late

The adverb of time can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence

For example

On Sunday he is traveling home

Every evening James jogs around the block

When there is more than one verb in the sentence, the adverb should be placed after the first verb.

For example

Peter will never forget his first dog

She has always loved eating rice.

Adjectives

Adjectives commonly refer to words that are used to describe someone or something. Adjectives can appear almost anywhere in the sentence.

Adjectives can sometimes appear after the verb to be

For example

He is fat

She is big

Adjectives can also appear before a noun.

For example

A big house

A fat boy

However, some sentences can contain more than one adjective to describe something or someone. These adjectives have an order in which they can appear before a now. The order is

Opinion – size – physical quality – shape – condition – age – color – pattern – origin – material – type – purpose

If more than one adjective is expected to come before a noun in a sentence, then it should follow this order. This order feels intuitive for native English speakers. However, it can be a little difficult to unpack for non-native English speakers.

For example

The ugly old woman is back

The dirty red car parked outside your house

When more than one adjective comes after a verb, it is usually connected by and

For example

The room is dark and cold

Having said that, Susan is tall and big

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Word Order

A verb + object : fiil + nesne

Sue	bought	some new shoes	yesterday.
subject	verb	object

The verb (bought) and the object (some new shoes) are usually together. Fiil (bought) ve nesne (some new shoes) genelde birliktedir.
◌ Sue bought some new shoes yesterday. (not Sue bought yesterday some new shoes)

verb	object
He speaks	English very well. (not He speaks very well English)
I like	Italian food very much. (not I like very much …)
Did you watch	TV all evening? (n o t … watch all evening TV)
Paul often wears	a black hat. (not Paul wears often …)
We invited	a lot of people to the party.
I opened	the door slowly.
Why do you always make	the same mistake?
I’m going to borrow	some money from a friend.

B where and when : nerede ve ne zaman

We went	to a party	last night.
	where?	when?

Place (where?) is usually before time (when?). We say:
◌ We went to a party last night. (not We went last night to a party)