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