Basic English Word Order

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

A1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the complete sentence and notice the subject, verb form, time reference and word order before answering.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence is correct?

   1. I like music.
   2. Like I music.
   3. Music like I.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   I like music.

   A basic English sentence normally follows subject + verb + object.

   I like music.: Correct: subject + verb + object.

   Like I music.: The verb should follow the subject.

   Music like I.: The subject should come before the verb.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the correct sentence.

   1. She plays tennis.
   2. Plays she tennis.
   3. Tennis she plays.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   She plays tennis.

   The subject “She” comes before the verb “plays”.

   She plays tennis.: Correct.

   Plays she tennis.: Do not place the verb before the subject in a statement.

   Tennis she plays.: The subject should come first here.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which word order completes the sentence: “They ___ English.”?

   1. study
   2. English study
   3. study they
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   study

   The subject “They” comes first, followed by the verb “study” and the object “English”.

   study: Correct.

   English study: The answer should be the verb after the subject.

   study they: The subject is already before the blank.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Choose the sentence with the correct word order.

   1. My brother cooks dinner.
   2. Cooks dinner my brother.
   3. Dinner cooks my brother.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   My brother cooks dinner.

   “My brother” is the subject, “cooks” is the verb, and “dinner” is the object.

   My brother cooks dinner.: Correct.

   Cooks dinner my brother.: The subject should come first.

   Dinner cooks my brother.: The object should come after the verb.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sentence follows subject + verb + object?

   1. We watch films.
   2. Watch we films.
   3. Films we watch.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   We watch films.

   “We” is the subject, “watch” is the verb, and “films” is the object.

   We watch films.: Correct.

   Watch we films.: The verb should not come before the subject.

   Films we watch.: This is not the basic word order for a statement.

What to review next

After checking an answer, explain the rule in your own words and write a new sentence using the same pattern. Revisit any rules you could not explain.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Build a clear English statement.

The children play football after school.

A typical statement puts the subject before the verb, followed by the object: the children + play + football.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.