The Sentence Structure

Word order in English sentences:

verb + object

Jill reads a newspaper every day

subject verb object

The verb (reads) and the object (a newspaper) are usually together:

- Jill reads a newspaper every day. (not ‘Jill reads every day a newspaper.’)

subject	verb	+object
You	speak	English	very well.
I	watched	television	all evening.
We	invented	a lot of people	to the party.
My brother	phoned	the police	immediately.

• I like Italian food very much. (not ‘I like very much Italian food.’)

• Ann borrowed some money from the bank. (not ‘Ann borrowed from the bank some money.’)

• I opened the door very quietly. (not ‘I opened very quietly the door.’)

• George usually wears a black hat. (not ‘George wears usually a black hat.’)

• Why do you always make the same mistake? (not ‘Why do you make always the same mistake?’)

• place and time

	Place (where?)	time (when? how long? how often?)
George walks	to work	every morning
We arrived	at the airport	at 7 o’clock.
Are you going	to the party	tonight?
They’ve lived	in the same house	for 20 years.
I usually go	to bed	early.

place is usually before time:

• They go to school every day. (not ‘They go every day to school.’)

• I went to the bank yesterday afternoon. (not ‘I went yesterday afternoon to the bank.’)

• Jack’s brother has been in hospital since June. (not ‘... since June in hospital.’)

Revision test

• Put the words in the right order.

1. (a newspaper / reads / every day / Jill) Jill reads a newspaper every day

2. (football / don’t like / very much / I) ……………………………………...................

3. (London / do you know / very well?) …..………………………………....................

4. (I / very well / French / don’t speak) ……………………………………...................

5. (I / this picture / don’t like / very much) ……………………………….....................

6. (she / smokes / every day / ten cigarettes) …………………………….......................

7. (you / the same clothes / wear / every day) …………………………….....................

8. (I / want to speak / fluently / English) ….....................................................................

9. (lost/I/my watch/last week)...........................................................................................

10. (Tom/the letter/ slowly/read).......................................................................................

• Put the words in the right order.

1. (to work/every morning/walks /George) George walks to work every morning

2. (goes / every year / to Italy / Jill) …………………………………….........................

3. (in London / Alice / in 1951 / was born) ……………………………….....................

4. (in October / Barbara / to university / is going) ……………………….......................

5. (to work/ tomorrow/are you going?).............................................................................

6. (next week/they/to London/are going..........................................................................

7. (many times/my parents/have been/ to the United States)............................................

8. (a beautiful bird/this morning/I/in teh garden)..............................................................

9. (my umbrella/last night/ I think I left?in the restaurant)...............................................

10. ( at the party/we/early/arrived).....................................................................................

11. (they/since 1984/here/have lived)................................................................................

12. (will you be/this evening/at home?)..............................................................................

13. (to the cinema/last night/did you go?)...........................................................................

14. (on Monday/here/will they be?).....................................................................................