A Parting of the Ways

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 idiomatic expressions fit into sentences
  • Develop a natural feel for correct English structure
  • Improve both listening and grammar simultaneously
1
0
/11
parting Suzanna of a have and sister her ways reached the
Suzanna and her sister have reached a parting of the ways
Listen
2
0
/15
bad in mother argued They patch ill they when struck over a relationship their their
They struck a bad patch in their relationship when they argued over their ill mother
Listen
3
0
/26
is to what could fight old not but a her want she about their mother sister who didn't do Suzanna with with very pick agree to
Suzanna didn't want to pick a fight with her sister but she could not agree about what to do with their mother who is very old
Listen
4
0
/12
in home folks to put old Suzanna just didn't want her an
Suzanna just didn't want to put her in an old folks home
Listen
5
0
/8
decided Now to hatchet they have bury the
Now they have decided to bury the hatchet
Listen
6
0
/19
is their mother Suzanna take will her apartment move her and to into of going care sister herself own
Suzanna is going to take care of their mother herself and her sister will move into her own apartment
Listen
7
0
/11
both know they is just But paper over cracks the it
But they both know it is just paper over the cracks
Listen
8
0
/13
easily strong their of give too Both up to opinions are them so
Both of them are too strong to give up their opinions so easily
Listen
9
0
/6
are their They just mother like
They are just like their mother
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 idiomatic expressions 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