Asking For Trouble

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 common phrasal verbs fit into sentences
  • Develop a natural feel for correct English structure
  • Improve both listening and grammar simultaneously
1
0
/14
told Tucker boss were the his going to problems on there be construction site
Tucker told his boss there were going to be problems on the construction site
Listen
2
0
/14
men several the young the hanging for hours around of gate site were Several
Several young men were hanging around the gate of the site for several hours
Listen
3
0
/10
He didn't his but called believe boss the boss him
He called his boss but the boss didn't believe him
Listen
4
0
/20
his and check called he out later A while again men had thought the he young figured to up boss
A while later he thought he had figured out the young men and called his boss again to check up
Listen
5
0
/12
said were his boss mafia from enough a local men the Sure
Sure enough his boss said the men were from a local mafia
Listen
6
0
/20
there would his and for Tucker battle asking said wanted it right to that but out boss trouble be then
Tucker wanted to battle it out right there and then but his boss said that would be asking for trouble
Listen
7
0
/18
Tucker wait they to men for and come away decided police to young send the agreed the and
Tucker agreed and they decided to wait for the police to come and send the young men away
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 common phrasal verbs 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