Word order

Typical word order

Typical word order in the English language is the following: SUBJECT (who/what is doing the action) - VERB (the action) - OBJECT (who/what is receiving the action).

Subject (who/what is doing the action) + Verb (action) + Object (who/what is receiving the action).

We normally add the information about place and time (where and when) at the end of the sentence in the following order:

Subject + Verb + Object + Adverb Of Place + Adverb Of Time

Example: I get to school at 7 am every day. Will you be at the library tomorrow?

However, you may also encounter an adverb at the beginning of a sentence: Every Monday, he goes to the orphanage.

Practice: Put the words in the correct order

every / reads / morning / she / the newspaper.
tomorrow / traveling / they / are / to Spain.
play / I / do / not / football / on weekends.
dog / barking / loudly / is / the.
always / homework / his / finishes / he / on time.

Changes to word order (B1-B2)

There is still a lot of fun found in word orders. Here are some options on the changes we can make within them:

Passive voice
Cleft sentences
Noun forms of verbs to create focus

Passive voice

In passive voice, the focus is on the object of an action rather than the doer (subject). It is used when the receiver of the action is more important than the performer or when the performer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious.

How to create passive voice from an active sentence"

Identify the active sentence: Subject + Verb + Object
Turn the object of the active sentence into the subject of the passive sentence.
Use the correct form of "be" to match the tense of the active sentence and add the past participle of the main verb.

Cleft sentences

"Cleft Sentences" in the English GrammarCleft sentences are complex sentences that have a meaning we can express by a simple sentence. They are used to emphasize one part of a clause. Let's see.

Noun forms to create focus

Using the noun form of a verb (a gerund*) is a powerful way to create focus in English. By turning a verb into a noun, we shift the emphasis from the action itself to the idea of the action or its results, making the sentence more formal.

*A gerund is the "-ing" form of a verb used as a noun.

Example: She runs every day. -> Running every day keeps her healthy.

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