Building Sentences with Emphasis

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

C1. 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

Sentence reordering

How to approach this practice

Read the complete context. Check both the meaning and the grammar, including word forms, collocations and links between sentences.

1. Question 1 · Sentence reordering

   Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

   Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

   Sentence parts

   • Only after
   • become apparent.
   • did
   • the assumptions were made explicit
   • the weakness
   Check answers and explanations

   Correct order

   Only after the assumptions were made explicit did the weakness become apparent.

   Only after triggers did-subject inversion in the main clause.

2. Question 2 · Sentence reordering

   Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

   Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

   Sentence parts

   • Never
   • before had
   • consistent pattern.
   • such a
   • the researchers encountered
   Check answers and explanations

   Correct order

   Never before had the researchers encountered such a consistent pattern.

   Never before triggers perfect auxiliary inversion.

3. Question 3 · Sentence reordering

   Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

   Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

   Sentence parts

   • What
   • concerns us most
   • is
   • of independent verification.
   • the lack
   Check answers and explanations

   Correct order

   What concerns us most is the lack of independent verification.

   The what-cleft makes the lack of verification its focus.

4. Question 4 · Sentence reordering

   Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

   Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

   Sentence parts

   • Under no
   • a recorded justification.
   • circumstances should
   • the data be altered
   • without
   Check answers and explanations

   Correct order

   Under no circumstances should the data be altered without a recorded justification.

   The fronted negative phrase triggers modal inversion.

5. Question 5 · Sentence reordering

   Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

   Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

   Sentence parts

   • So
   • it initially escaped
   • our attention.
   • subtle was the distinction
   • that
   Check answers and explanations

   Correct order

   So subtle was the distinction that it initially escaped our attention.

   Fronted so plus adjective takes inversion and a that-result.

6. Question 6 · Sentence reordering

   Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

   Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

   Sentence parts

   • It was
   • rather than the evidence itself,
   • that
   • the scope of the claim,
   • we disputed.
   Check answers and explanations

   Correct order

   It was the scope of the claim, rather than the evidence itself, that we disputed.

   The it-cleft preserves the contrasted focus and relative that.

7. Question 7 · Sentence reordering

   Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

   Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

   Sentence parts

   • Only by
   • can
   • examining the exceptions
   • the rule's limits.
   • we assess
   Check answers and explanations

   Correct order

   Only by examining the exceptions can we assess the rule's limits.

   Only by triggers modal-subject inversion.

8. Question 8 · Sentence reordering

   Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

   Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

   Sentence parts

   • Little
   • did the committee realise
   • far-reaching
   • how
   • the consequences would be.
   Check answers and explanations

   Correct order

   Little did the committee realise how far-reaching the consequences would be.

   Fronted little requires did; the embedded how-clause keeps statement order.

9. Question 9 · Sentence reordering

   Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

   Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

   Sentence parts

   • Not until
   • come to light.
   • did
   • the anomaly
   • the final comparison was made
   Check answers and explanations

   Correct order

   Not until the final comparison was made did the anomaly come to light.

   Not until triggers inversion in the main clause.

10. Question 10 · Sentence reordering

    Arrange these parts into the correct sentence.

    Put the chunks in order to make one complete sentence. Keep the capitalised opening first and the punctuated ending last.

    Sentence parts

    • Such
    • became unavoidable.
    • further consultation
    • that
    • was the strength of the response
    Check answers and explanations

    Correct order

    Such was the strength of the response that further consultation became unavoidable.

    Such...that expresses the consequential degree with inversion.

What to review next

Explain why each answer fits the meaning and structure. Record useful phrases and write a new example using each pattern you found difficult.

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.