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