Ordering of Words

What you need to understand

A statement has three parts in a fixed order: the doer, the verb, and what the verb acts on.

The verb agrees with the doer. If the doer is plural, the verb takes its plural form.

Helper verbs stay immediately in front of the main verb. Have gone and will write cannot be split, and neither can is being repaired.

An article belongs to the noun that follows it. A and an and the cannot be moved away from their noun.

The sentence asked for is a statement, not a question. A question begins with the verb or with a question word, and that shape is wrong here.

Where there are two nouns, only one of them can sensibly do the action. Choose the doer by asking which noun could perform the verb.

A word that can only be a verb cannot open the sentence, and a word that can only be a noun cannot be the verb.

How to work through these questions

Start with the verb. Find the word that is a verb, together with any helper in front of it.

Decide which noun does the action. That is the doer, and it goes first.

The remaining noun is what the verb acts on, and it goes last, with its article attached.

Put the three parts in order: doer, verb, then object.

Check the verb agrees with the doer, and that helper and main verb are still together.

Read the sentence through as a statement. If it sounds like a question, the order is wrong.

Check that every word given has been used exactly once.

Mistakes that cost marks

Putting the object first, which leaves the sentence without a doer where a doer belongs.
Putting the verb last, which is the order of some other languages and not of English.
Separating a helper verb from its main verb, as in have the parcels made rather than have made the parcels.
Pulling an article away from its noun, as in the made farmers parcels have.
Building a question by putting the verb first, when the words are meant to form a statement.
Ignoring agreement, so that a plural doer is given a singular verb.

Worked example

Rearrange these words into a sentence: made / have / farmers / the / parcels / the

Find the verb: made, with its helper have in front of it.
Together they form have made, which must stay together.
Decide who did the making. The farmers can make things, and the parcels cannot, so the farmers is the doer.
The doer goes first, and the carries its noun with it: The farmers.
The remaining noun, the parcels, is what was made, so it goes last with its own article.
Put the parts together: The farmers have made the parcels.
Read it back as a statement, and check that all six words have been used once.

Answer: The farmers have made the parcels.

Practice questions with answers

A few Ordering of Words questions with the full solution shown, so you can see how the method is applied before you attempt the timed set.

Question 1

Rearrange the following words to form a meaningful sentence: a / the / had / report / workers / sent

A Had sent the workers a report.
B The workers had sent a report.
C A report the workers had sent.
D The workers a report had sent.

Answer: Option B — with explanation

An English statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on. Here that gives: The workers had sent a report. The other three arrangements each move one of those parts out of place, so none of them reads as a statement. Common mistakes - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The workers a report had sent. - the verb is put first, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Had sent the workers a report. - the object is put first, so the sentence has no subject where a subject belongs: A report the workers had sent.

Question 2

Rearrange the following words to form a meaningful sentence: the / newspapers / the / tested / girl

A Tested the girl the newspapers.
B The girl the newspapers tested.
C The newspapers the girl tested.
D The girl tested the newspapers.

Answer: Option D — with explanation

An English statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on. Here that gives: The girl tested the newspapers. The other three arrangements each move one of those parts out of place, so none of them reads as a statement. Common mistakes - the verb is put first, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Tested the girl the newspapers. - the object is put first, so the sentence has no subject where a subject belongs: The newspapers the girl tested. - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The girl the newspapers tested.

Question 3

The words below are jumbled. Which arrangement makes a proper sentence? the / teacher / a / lamp / bought / had

A Had bought the teacher a lamp.
B The teacher a lamp had bought.
C The teacher had bought a lamp.
D A lamp the teacher had bought.

Answer: Option C — with explanation

An English statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on. Here that gives: The teacher had bought a lamp. The other three arrangements each move one of those parts out of place, so none of them reads as a statement. Common mistakes - the object is put first, so the sentence has no subject where a subject belongs: A lamp the teacher had bought. - the verb is put first, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Had bought the teacher a lamp. - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The teacher a lamp had bought.

Question 4

Rearrange the following words to form a meaningful sentence: workers / written / have / the / the / paintings

A The workers the paintings have written.
B Have written the workers the paintings.
C The workers have written the paintings.
D The paintings the workers have written.

Answer: Option C — with explanation

An English statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on. Here that gives: The workers have written the paintings. The other three arrangements each move one of those parts out of place, so none of them reads as a statement. Common mistakes - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The workers the paintings have written. - the verb is put first, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Have written the workers the paintings. - the object is put first, so the sentence has no subject where a subject belongs: The paintings the workers have written.

Question 5

The words below are jumbled. Which arrangement makes a proper sentence? washed / report / the / students / a

A The students washed a report.
B Washed the students a report.
C A report the students washed.
D The students a report washed.

Answer: Option A — with explanation

An English statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on. Here that gives: The students washed a report. The other three arrangements each move one of those parts out of place, so none of them reads as a statement. Common mistakes - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The students a report washed. - the verb is put first, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Washed the students a report. - the object is put first, so the sentence has no subject where a subject belongs: A report the students washed.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find the doer when there are two nouns?

Ask which noun could perform the verb. Parcels cannot make anything, but farmers can, so farmers is the doer. Where both could, the meaning of the whole set of words decides.

Does the order of the words matter in English?

Very much. English relies on order rather than on word endings, so the same words in a different order say something different, or say nothing at all.

Where do helper verbs go?

Immediately before the main verb. Have made, will write and is being repaired are single units and cannot be separated without breaking the sentence.

What if the words could make a question?

Then they have been arranged in the wrong shape. The question asks for a sentence, which means a statement, and a statement never opens with its verb.

Should I check the sentence at the end?

Yes, always. Reading the arrangement back in order is the quickest way to catch a helper verb stranded from its main verb or an article that has lost its noun.