Nervous Times

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
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/18
twins be to were going their plans rich through were The fell they until Anna and confident May
The twins Anna and May were confident they were going to be rich until their plans fell through
Listen
2
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/21
home on insurance them day their counted husbands the coming to they They poison planned not and and collect the during
They counted on their husbands not coming home during the day and they planned to poison them and collect the insurance
Listen
3
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/18
early They might left day finish one out that possibility husbands their husbands their and the work did
They left out the possibility that their husbands might finish work early and one day their husbands did
Listen
4
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/15
Now they running running places are of to are away and out they run to
Now they are running away and they are running out of places to run to
Listen
5
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/11
hiding They physical tough in are they jobs while doing are
They are doing tough physical jobs while they are in hiding
Listen
6
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/18
out that while some they relatives fun them They wait are hoping help will it but not is
They are hoping that some relatives will help them out but it is not fun while they wait
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