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