Tests for word order in English sentences. Exercises on word order in English sentences

There are three basic rules for word order. The most important of them is the first one, which you need to remember once and for the rest of your life in order to learn to think and speak English. So,

Rule #1

An English affirmative sentence begins with a subject. It must be followed by a predicate. Then comes the addition and circumstance. Sometimes an adverb can be used at the beginning of a sentence (adverbs of time) or before the predicate (adverbs of frequency - never, often, always, etc.)

Example: I like this movie very much.

Rule #2

The construction there is / there are. If you need to say about the presence of a certain object in a certain place, then such sentences are constructed according to the scheme: There is / There are + noun + adverbial location.

Example: There is a flower in the vase.

Rule #3

In questions, “reverse order” of words is observed, in which an auxiliary verb is used before the subject.

Example: Do you like this movie?

Exercise on word order in English sentences

Exercise:

p.1-p.3 - Substitute the missing word into the sentence.

p.4-p.7 - Place the words in the correct order.

Word order in an English affirmative sentence ( declarative) is usually strictly defined. Each member of the sentence has its place. It is very important. The meaning of the sentence changes from the rearrangement of places, since in English there are no cases, there are no changes in verbs by gender and number, and often only the word order shows us what is the subject (SUBJECT), what is the predicate (PREDICATE), and what are the minor members of the sentence — additions (OBJECT), circumstances, etc.

Simple example:

A boy hit a girl. (The boy hit the girl)
A girl hit a boy. (The girl hit the boy)

You see how the meaning has changed dramatically just because the boy and girl have swapped places in the sentence.

The usual word order in an English affirmative sentence with complements

The simplest sentence model with a dot: the subject comes first, followed by the predicate, and then the direct object(direct object), if it exists. The direct object is the object to which the action of the verb extends. This object can be a noun, pronoun, or phrase.

Examples of simple sentences with direct objects. For clarity, highlight in color subject, verb, direct object:

A girl writes a book.(Girl writes a book)
You will bring flowers.(You'll bring flowers)
My sister has got a husband and three children. (My sister has a husband and three children)

The subject is expressed not in one word, but in a phrase. Then this whole phrase is placed before the predicate:

The woman who lives next door called her children.(The woman who lives next door called her children.)

In addition to the direct object, there may be an indirect object ( indirect object) is the recipient of the action. Its place in a sentence depends on whether it has a preposition to or not:

- if there to, then this indirect object is placed after the direct one:

Sonia had written a letter to her mother(Sonya wrote a letter to her mother)
You will bring your flowers to me(You bring me your flowers)

- indirect object without to is placed before the direct object:

Linda will bring him a book(Linda will bring him a book)

The place of adverbs in an English affirmative sentence

Adverbs ( adverbs), which can be expressed either as a single word or as a phrase, can appear in three places.

Before the subject:
At the bottom of the stairs there were two doors. (There were two doors at the top of the stairs)
Then, on day in September, an unusual customer came into the bank(Then, one day in September, an unusual client came to the bank).
Yesterday we went to the cinema(Yesterday we went to the cinema)
After objects or a predicate that does not require direct objects(almost any adverb can be placed in this place):
The shop opened on Monday, 22nd February, 1965 . (The store opened on Monday, February 22, 1965)
Mr Smith brought lots of flowers yesterday. (Mr. Smith brought a lot of flowers yesterday)
After the auxiliary or, but before the main verb of the compound predicate(usually these are adverbs of frequency or time):
Marsha has already been to Moscow. (Marsha has already been to Moscow).
The stars can sometimes be seen from heavy and dense clouds.(Stars may sometimes be visible through heavy and dense clouds)

Adverbs of frequency ( adverbs of frequency)

Adverbs of frequency occupy a privileged position in a sentence. Usually nothing breaks the connection between the subject and the predicate, as well as between the predicate and the object, but this does not apply to, such as: never, often, always.... However, it is more natural to use them in the middle of the predicate:

I sometimes write him letters. (I sometimes write letters to him)
Olga always brings up her husband to work(Olga always gives her husband a ride to work).
He has sometimes given me a flower. (He sometimes gave me a flower).

There are exceptions to almost every rule. Masters of the English word sometimes rearrange words in places not according to the rules, in order to emphasize certain points. However, in this article we will not consider these exceptions.

Secondary members of the sentence

The word order in an English sentence also applies to other minor members of sentences that show the place, time, methods and reasons for an action. Their sequence can be schematically depicted as follows:

Example : Tom ate breakfast on the train (where) this morning (when) because he was late (why).

It is in this order that this sentence will sound natural.

If these elements consist of several parts, then they are usually arranged in order: from smallest to largest. Let's consider two examples, in one of which the element when consists of several parts, and in the other there is an element where:

The bank opened at 9 am on Monday last week. (The bank opened at 9am on Monday last week) - hour, day, week.
They live in a house in a village in Russia. (They live in a house in a village in Russia) - first the house, then the village, then the country - from small to large.

Exercises on word order in English sentences

Put the words in the correct order to make an affirmative sentence.

Paul / never / has / her / met.
bill / somebody / paid / the.
do / work / for / going / to / your / I’m / you.
the library / take / I / the / book / will / today / to.
weather / while / were / the / was / away / cold / we.
children / the / time / beach / the / had / at / a / great.
am / I / sleep / on / all / to / day / going / Saturday.
arrived / ago / ten / to / they / minutes / station / the.
hour / travel / good / during / the / a / it’s / rush / not / idea / to.
send / to / decided / friend / to / a / Martin / letter / his.
people / standing / to / the / into / are / these / a / in / queue / get / cinema.
station / to / time / she / to / got / train / the / the / the / just / to / catch / airport / in.

Exercises "Word order in sentences" (Word order)

1 . Put the words in the sentences in order.

usually / at 10 o"clock / out of the garage / in the morning / drives / his bike / Fred

a shower / after dinner / often / Mrs Lewis / takes

a parking place / near the library / we / find / rarely

to / I / on / a / night-club / sometimes / Saturdays / go

fly / my parents / to Australia / sometimes / I / in winter / and

enjoys / very much / swimming / in the pool / always / Mary

hardly / last year / could / skate / I

is / near / house / there / new / a / our / cinema

got / my / problems / I / with / have / home-task / some

well / think / your / very / I / don"t / sister / drives

to / parents / once / the theater / month / my / a / go

his / car / two / ago / Jim / sold / years

necklace / can’t / anywhere / Cindy / her / find

been / to / India / Mike / has / year / already / this

lunch / never / weekdays / she / has / on

2 . Translate.

I rarely watch TV.

It's dark outside and I'll go to bed soon.

They are discussing something very noisily in the bedroom.

He walked slowly along the river.

During lessons we often sing songs.

I quietly closed the door and immediately went to the bathroom.

My uncle loves fishing very much.

Anna can play tennis well.

She yells at the kids all the time.

I will put your books on the table.

I don't know him well enough.

There are a lot of good films on TV today.

There is a beautiful fountain in the park.

Last Tuesday it was very windy.

I bought these shoes in Italy.

3 . Choose the correct word order in the subordinate clauses of the sentences.

Could you tell us what time… (it is – is it – does it)?

Do you know when… (our bus leave – our bus leaves – does our bus leave)?

I wonder if... (he is a doctor – is he a doctor – a doctor is he).

Do you remember what... (did Jane wear – Jane wear – Jane wore) yesterday?

4 . Based on the given words, construct sentences, observing the word order:

1 . she won, easily, the game
2. tennis, every weekend, Ken, plays
3. quietly, the door, I, closed
4. his name, after a few minutes, I, remembered
5. a letter to her parents, Ann, writes, every week
6. some interesting books, found, we, in the library
7. across from the park, they, a new hotel, are building
8. to the bank, I, every Friday, go
9. on Saturday night, didn't see, at the party, you, I
10. brightly, is, shining, sun, the
11. in, lives, my, sister, New York
12. a, became, doctor, good, Mary
13. a, decided, go, on, picnic, to, we

5 . Mark the sentences in which the word order is broken and rearrange them in accordance with the rules: Sample: Tom walks every morning to work. - Tom walks to work every morning.

1. Jim doesn't like very much baseball.
2. Ann drives every day her car to work.
3. When I heard the news, I immediately called Tom. (immediately -straightaway)
4. Maria speaks very well English.
5. After eating quickly my dinner, I went out.
6. You watch all the time television.
7. Liz smokes about 20 cigarettes every day.
8. I think I"ll go early to bed tonight.
9. You should go to the dentist every six months. (should -should)
10. We went last night to the movies.
11. We go every summer to the sea in August.
12. In the evening my parents go to the cinema with their friends.

6 . Correct, if necessary, the location of the subject according to the rule about word order in a sentence.

Curly hair has her brother.

Steve likes cakes.

A bad cold has Jessica.

These exercises I did well.

The order of words in an English sentence is, on the one hand, an easy topic, because the basic rules are simple, but on the other hand, it is an inexhaustible topic, because the nuances are endless. In this article we will not try to grasp the immensity, but will consider the basic rules and principles of sentence construction in the English language.

What does a sentence consist of in English?

Word order in a subordinate clause (in a complex sentence)

In subordinate clauses, the word order is simple - the same as in the affirmative,

I know where you live. - I know where you live.
I don't know where you live. – I don’t know where you live.
Do you know where I live? - Do you know where I live?

For clarity, I will present the proposals in the form of a table:

A common mistake is that in the part of the sentence that begins with conjunctions (in this case, these are conjunctions) who, why, when, where words rearranged, as in an interrogative sentence.

Wrong: I don't know why did she call me.
Right: I don't know why she called me.

In this case, “...why she called me” is not at all the same as the interrogative sentence “Why did she call me?”, but a subordinate clause. The word order in it is direct, as in a simple affirmative sentence.

This is especially common in complex interrogative sentences. In this case, the reverse word order should only be in the main part (Do you know), but not in the subordinate clause (where I live).

Wrong: Do you know where do I live?
Right: Do you know where do I live?
Wrong: Do you know who was it?
Right: Do you know who was it?

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1. Put the words in the sentences in order.

Usually / at 10 o'clock / out of the garage / in the morning / drives / his bike / Fred A shower / after dinner / often / Mrs Lewis / takes A parking place / near the library / we / find / rarely To / I / on / a / night-club / sometimes / Saturdays / go Fly / my parents / to Australia / sometimes / I / in winter / and Enjoys / very much / swimming / in the pool / always / Mary Hardly / last year / could / skate / I Is / near / house / there / new / a / our / cinema Got / my / problems / I / with / have / home-task / some Well / think / your / very / I / don't / sister / drives To / parents / once / the theater / month / my / a / go His / car / two / ago / Jim / sold / years Necklace / can't / anywhere / Cindy / her / find Been / to / India / Mike / has / year / already / this Lunch / never / weekdays / she / has / on

2. Translate.

I rarely watch TV. It's dark outside and I'll go to bed soon. They are discussing something very noisily in the bedroom. He walked slowly along the river. During lessons we often sing songs. I quietly closed the door and immediately went to the bathroom. My uncle loves fishing very much. Anna can play tennis well. She yells at the kids all the time. I will put your books on the table. I don't know him well enough. There are a lot of good films on TV today. There is a beautiful fountain in the park. Last Tuesday it was very windy. I bought these shoes in Italy.

3. Choose the correct word order in the subordinate clauses of the sentences.

Could you tell us what time... (it is – is it – does it)? Do you know when… (our bus leave – our bus leaves – does our bus leave)? I wonder if... (he is a doctor – is he a doctor – a doctor is he). Do you remember what... (did Jane wear – Jane wear – Jane wore) yesterday? Do you think... (she can cook well – can she cook well – she can cook well)?

Answers:

Fred usually drives his bike out of the garage at 10 o’clock in the morning. (Fred usually leaves the garage on his bike at 10 o'clock in the morning.) Lewis often takes a shower after dinner. (Mrs. Lewis often showers after dinner.) We rarely find a parking place near the library. (We rarely find a place to park at the library.) I sometimes go to a night-club on Saturdays. (Sometimes I go to a nightclub on Saturdays.) My parents and I sometimes fly to Australia in winter. (My parents and I sometimes fly to Australia in the winter.) Mary always enjoys swimming in the pool very much. (Mary always really likes swimming in the pool.) I could hardly skate last year. (I could hardly skate last year.) There is a new cinema near our house. (There is a new cinema near our house.) I have got some problems with my home-task. (I have problems with homework.) I don’t think your sister drives very well. (I don't think your sister drives a car very well.) My parents go to the theater once a month. (My parents go to the theater once a month.) Jim sold his car two years ago. (Jim sold his car two years ago.) Cindy can't find her necklace anywhere. (Cindy can't find her necklace anywhere.) Mike has already been to India this year. (Mike has already been to India this year.) She never has lunch on weekdays. (She never has lunch on weekdays.)

I rarely watch TV. It’s dark outside and I am going to bed soon. They are discussing something very loudly in the bedroom. He was walking slowly along the river. We often sing songs at the lessons. I shut the door quietly and went to the bathroom immediately. My uncle loves fishing very much. Ann can play tennis well. She is shouting at the kids all the time. I will put your books on the table. I don't know him well enough. There are a lot of good films on TV today. There is a nice fountain in the park. It was very windy last Tuesday. I bought these shoes in Italy.

It is (Could you tell us what time it is?) Our bus leaves (Do you know when our bus leaves?) He is a doctor (I wonder if he is a doctor.) Jane wore (Do you remember what you were wearing) Jane yesterday?) She can cook well (Do you think she can cook well?)

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