Sentence Formation

What you need to understand

An English statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on: the carpenter built the table.

A phrase of place or time comes after the object: the carpenter built the table in the garden.

Putting the verb before the doer makes a question rather than a statement, so that arrangement is wrong when a statement was asked for.

Putting the object before the verb leaves the sentence without a statement shape, and putting the object first makes it read as though the object were the doer.

Every option contains every word that was given, so no arrangement can be ruled out by a missing word.

The arrangement has to be assessed as a whole. A pair of words that go together can still be in the wrong place relative to the rest.

How to work through these questions

Find the doer among the given words. It is the group that names whoever the sentence is about, and it opens the sentence.

Find the verb phrase next. It is the group that says what was done, and it follows the doer directly.

Find the object: the group naming what the verb acted on. It follows the verb.

Whatever is left is an adverbial phrase of place or time, and it goes last.

Check each option against that order rather than reading it for sense. An arrangement can be understandable and still not be a sentence.

Reject any option that has no doer where the doer belongs, or that begins with the verb, which would make a question.

Mistakes that cost marks

Choosing the arrangement that makes the most sense rather than the one that is grammatical. The wrong arrangements are built to be understandable.
Putting the adverbial phrase before the verb, which is possible in English but not the arrangement these questions ask for.
Reading quickly and mistaking a question form for a statement, since the words are the same in both.
Assuming an arrangement is wrong because it contains an unusual pairing, when the words and their order are all that matter here.
Forgetting that all four options contain the same words, so the only difference to judge is the order.

Worked example

The words below are jumbled. Which arrangement forms a correct sentence? bridge / built / the / carpenter / near / the / table

Find the doer: the carpenter. That is the group the sentence is about, and it opens the sentence.
Find the verb: built. It follows the doer directly.
Find the object: the table. It follows the verb.
What is left is near the bridge, a phrase of place, and it comes last.
The arrangement is: The carpenter built the table near the bridge.
An arrangement beginning with built would be a question, and one beginning with the table would read as though the table were the doer. Both are wrong for a statement.

Answer: The carpenter built the table near the bridge.

Practice questions with answers

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

Question 1

Which arrangement of these words is a grammatically correct sentence? Words: box / will / the / workers / garden / a / the / hold / in

A The workers will hold a box in the garden.
B Will hold the workers a box in the garden.
C A box will hold the workers in the garden.
D The workers a box will hold in the garden.

Answer: Option A — with explanation

A statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on, and the place phrase last: The workers will hold a box in the garden.\nThe 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 words read as though the object were the doer: A box will hold the workers in the garden. - the verb is put before the doer, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Will hold the workers a box in the garden. - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The workers a box will hold in the garden.

Question 2

The words below are jumbled. Which arrangement forms a correct sentence? Words: had / opened / in / the / a / box / farmers / garden / the

A The farmers a box had opened in the garden.
B The farmers had opened a box in the garden.
C A box had opened the farmers in the garden.
D Had opened the farmers a box in the garden.

Answer: Option B — with explanation

A statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on, and the place phrase last: The farmers had opened a box in the garden.\nThe 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 words read as though the object were the doer: A box had opened the farmers in the garden. - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The farmers a box had opened in the garden. - the verb is put before the doer, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Had opened the farmers a box in the garden.

Question 3

The words below are jumbled. Which arrangement forms a correct sentence? Words: the / the / outside / a / chosen / bicycle / has / teacher / school

A The teacher a bicycle has chosen outside the school.
B Has chosen the teacher a bicycle outside the school.
C A bicycle has chosen the teacher outside the school.
D The teacher has chosen a bicycle outside the school.

Answer: Option D — with explanation

A statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on, and the place phrase last: The teacher has chosen a bicycle outside the school.\nThe 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 before the doer, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Has chosen the teacher a bicycle outside the school. - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The teacher a bicycle has chosen outside the school. - the object is put first, so the words read as though the object were the doer: A bicycle has chosen the teacher outside the school.

Question 4

The words below are jumbled. Which arrangement forms a correct sentence? Words: the / machines / bridge / teacher / clean / the / the / near / should

A The teacher the machines should clean near the bridge.
B The teacher should clean the machines near the bridge.
C The machines should clean the teacher near the bridge.
D Should clean the teacher the machines near the bridge.

Answer: Option B — with explanation

A statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on, and the place phrase last: The teacher should clean the machines near the bridge.\nThe 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 words read as though the object were the doer: The machines should clean the teacher near the bridge. - the verb is put before the doer, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Should clean the teacher the machines near the bridge. - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The teacher the machines should clean near the bridge.

Question 5

Which arrangement of these words is a grammatically correct sentence? Words: beside / written / the / mechanic / a / the / song / cottage / has

A A song has written the mechanic beside the cottage.
B The mechanic a song has written beside the cottage.
C Has written the mechanic a song beside the cottage.
D The mechanic has written a song beside the cottage.

Answer: Option D — with explanation

A statement puts the doer first, then the verb, then what the verb acts on, and the place phrase last: The mechanic has written a song beside the cottage.\nThe 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 before the doer, which makes a question rather than the statement the words are meant to form: Has written the mechanic a song beside the cottage. - the object is placed before the verb, which is not how an English statement is built: The mechanic a song has written beside the cottage. - the object is put first, so the words read as though the object were the doer: A song has written the mechanic beside the cottage.

Frequently asked questions

Does the meaning matter at all?

Only in choosing which group is the doer and which is the object. Beyond that the question is about order, and the wrong arrangements are deliberately understandable.

Why is putting the verb first wrong?

Because that is the order of a question. Built the carpenter the table is a question shape, and a question is not the statement the words are meant to form.

Can the place phrase ever come earlier?

In ordinary English it can, and it then carries emphasis. In this question type the plain statement order is wanted, and the place phrase comes after the object.

How do I avoid being misled by a familiar-looking pairing?

Place the parts in order first and read the result second. Two words that belong together can still be in the wrong place relative to the doer and the verb.