Read the word order rules and tendencies and then try the practice exercise.
Rules and Tendencies
- For expressions of time and place, the order is subject + verb + object + place + time.
I write my reports at my desk every morning. (subject/verb/object/place/time)
Kate swims laps in the pool every night. (subject/verb/object/place/time)
- We put adverbs of frequency before the main verb or after the verb to be.
Adverbs of frequency include always, usually, normally, generally, often, sometimes, never. Sometimes is an exception — it can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence.
John often gets to work early.
John is often here early.
Sometimes John gets to work early.
John sometimes gets to work early.
- We don’t normally put an adverb between a verb and its object.
I like English a lot.
I like a lot English.
- Some questions have prepositions at the end of clauses.
Where are you from?
What school did you go to?
What was the meeting about?
- The subject and verb must be inverted in a variety of situations. See this explanation from about.com.
Practice Exercise
Every sentence has a common word order mistake that English language learners make. Write the correct word order of the sentence in the blanks. More than one answer may be possible.
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- Question 1 of 17
1. Question
1. Rebecca was all morning stuck in traffic.
Correct
Incorrect
Rebecca was stuck in traffic all morning.
- Question 2 of 17
2. Question
2. I like more Macs than PC’s.
Correct
Incorrect
I like Macs more than PC’s.
- Question 3 of 17
3. Question
3. Already I’ve finished the project.
Correct
Incorrect
I’ve already finished the project.
I’ve finished the project already. - Question 4 of 17
4. Question
4. I worked for six months in Paris.
Correct
Incorrect
I worked in Paris for six months.
- Question 5 of 17
5. Question
5. Could you tell me what time is the meeting?
Correct
Incorrect
Could you tell me what time the meeting is?
- Question 6 of 17
6. Question
6. I go sometimes to the gym after work.
Correct
Incorrect
I sometimes go to the gym after work.
Sometimes I go to the gym after work. - Question 7 of 17
7. Question
7. I never am productive at night.
Correct
Incorrect
I am (I’m) never productive at night.
- Question 8 of 17
8. Question
8. I started last week working on a new assignment.
Correct
Incorrect
Last week I started working on a new assignment.
I started working on a new assignment last week. - Question 9 of 17
9. Question
9. For who are you waiting?
Correct
Incorrect
Who are you waiting for?
Also For whom are you waiting? (formal, not common in spoken English) - Question 10 of 17
10. Question
10. About what was the argument?
Correct
Incorrect
What was the argument about?
- Question 11 of 17
11. Question
11. Carla finished at home the project.
Correct
Incorrect
Carla finished the project at home.
- Question 12 of 17
12. Question
12. We started offering last week a new course.
Correct
Incorrect
Last week we started offering a new course.
We started offering a new course last week. - Question 13 of 17
13. Question
13. Scott created at work the document.
Correct
Incorrect
Scott created the document at work.
- Question 14 of 17
14. Question
14. Who works normally the night shift?
Correct
Incorrect
Who normally works the night shift?
- Question 15 of 17
15. Question
15. With who did you work?
Correct
Incorrect
Who did you work with?
- Question 16 of 17
16. Question
16. To who did you speak?
Correct
Incorrect
Who did you speak to?
Also To whom did you speak? (formal, not common in spoken English) - Question 17 of 17
17. Question
17. Even I didn’t have time to eat lunch today.
Correct
Incorrect
I didn’t even have time to eat lunch today.
Additional word order exercises from around the web:
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/complex_tests/word_order1/task.php
http://www.better-english.com/grammar/wordorder.htm
http://www.autoenglish.org/mistakes/mis-order.pdf