Jim and the Boys

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
/7
were the boys having Jim and trouble
Jim and the boys were having trouble
Listen
2
0
/13
on working old They boss on their mansion visited repairs when an were
They were working on repairs on an old mansion when their boss visited
Listen
3
0
/8
He comes man as difficult always a across
He always comes across as a difficult man
Listen
4
0
/14
with they enough they working told He were fast argued him not them and
He told them they were not working fast enough and they argued with him
Listen
5
0
/15
get him said wanted it They so with along Let's finally they to talk over
They wanted to get along with him so they finally said Let's talk it over
Listen
6
0
/10
he boss stood suddenly and and left up agreed Their
Their boss agreed and suddenly he stood up and left
Listen
7
0
/16
had minutes he pizza brought returned share back a and he Fifteen to later them with
Fifteen minutes later he returned and he had brought back a pizza to share with them
Listen
8
0
/12
he all easy was decided after that get along with to They
They decided that he was easy to get along with after all
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