mean-past

Word Order Practice

Listen to each sentence and arrange the words in the correct order. Click on words to move them to your answer area.

Green checkmark (✓) means your current word order is correct so far. Red X (✗) means there's an error in the order.

Why Word Order Matters in English

Word order is crucial in English because it affects meaning. Unlike some languages that use case endings or particles to show word relationships, English relies heavily on word order to convey meaning.

This exercise helps you:

  • Internalize English sentence patterns
  • Recognize how grammar patterns fit into sentences
  • Develop a natural feel for correct English structure
  • Improve both listening and grammar simultaneously
1
0
/3
was Randolph upset
Randolph was upset
Listen
2
0
/11
lady way on tried to He help a to the work
He tried to help a lady on the way to work
Listen
3
0
/4
He meant nothing bad
He meant nothing bad
Listen
4
0
/16
on wanted He the help they rode to train his seat by giving her as only
He only wanted to help by giving her his seat on the train as they rode
Listen
5
0
/8
offered when upset looked But it she he
But she looked upset when he offered it
Listen
6
0
/9
Please He her said even a have seat to
He even said to her Please have a seat
Listen
7
0
/16
that She Are What do to mean said tell me old you you am I trying
She said What do you mean Are you trying to tell me that I am old
Listen
8
0
/6
to I meant help No only
No I only meant to help
Listen
9
0
/6
you might thought like I it
I thought you might like it
Listen
10
0
/6
it thought manners I was good
I thought it was good manners
Listen
11
0
/6
insult I mean didn’t to you
I didn’t mean to insult you
Listen
12
0
/6
Well someone who help needs help
Well help someone who needs help
Listen
13
0
/4
need I don’t help
I don’t need help
Listen
14
0
/13
on him place to train she from away And the moved another farther
And she moved to another place on the train farther away from him
Listen
15
0
/19
her Randolph he meant help instead only to the lady insult he was because to meant upset and thought
Randolph was upset because he only meant to help and instead the lady thought he meant to insult her
Listen
16
0
/9
really changing to himself he is The thought world
The world is really changing he thought to himself
Listen

Tips for Effective Practice

  1. Always listen to the audio first before attempting to order the words
  2. Pay attention to common patterns like subject-verb-object
  3. Notice how grammar patterns are positioned in sentences
  4. If you make a mistake, use it as a learning opportunity - try to understand why the correct order is different
  5. After completing each sentence, listen to the audio again while reading your correctly ordered sentence