Payback Time

Word Order Practice

Listen to each sentence and arrange the words in the correct order. Click on words to move them to your answer area.

Green checkmark (✓) means your current word order is correct so far. Red X (✗) means there's an error in the order.

Why Word Order Matters in English

Word order is crucial in English because it affects meaning. Unlike some languages that use case endings or particles to show word relationships, English relies heavily on word order to convey meaning.

This exercise helps you:

  • Internalize English sentence patterns
  • Recognize how common phrasal verbs fit into sentences
  • Develop a natural feel for correct English structure
  • Improve both listening and grammar simultaneously
1
0
/10
last to san three felt like hell months Kaiko The
The last three months felt like hell to Kaiko san
Listen
2
0
/14
yen work beavering every her away she She at has earned been saving and
She has been beavering away at her work and saving every yen she earned
Listen
3
0
/20
slipped back off lot with then the of Keiko and a money Her while quietly borrowed leaving a debt husband
Her husband borrowed a lot of money a while back and then slipped off quietly leaving Keiko with the debt
Listen
4
0
/21
one could foolishness she For him for could so meet time prayed one more lay she such she month him into
For one month she prayed she could meet him one more time so she could lay into him for such foolishness
Listen
5
0
/21
they an she loan how with arrived fast at company about money agreement Then pay met to and back the the
Then she met with the loan company and they arrived at an agreement about how fast to pay back the money
Listen
6
0
/11
money pay Now back she is all the wants do to
Now all she wants to do is pay back the money
Listen

Tips for Effective Practice

  1. Always listen to the audio first before attempting to order the words
  2. Pay attention to common patterns like subject-verb-object
  3. Notice how common phrasal verbs are positioned in sentences
  4. If you make a mistake, use it as a learning opportunity - try to understand why the correct order is different
  5. After completing each sentence, listen to the audio again while reading your correctly ordered sentence