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