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