A1 · Beginner

Basic word order: verb, object, place and time

A simple English statement normally follows a fixed order: the subject comes first, then the verb. Some verbs also have an object, and the object comes after the verb. Place usually comes before time at the end.

Subject, verb, object

In a neutral statement the subject comes before the verb. Many verbs need an object, and the object comes after the verb.

Order
subjectverbobject
  • Anna likes her new job.
  • The children play football after school.
  • We watched a film last night.

In the present simple or past simple, a question or a negative with an ordinary lexical verb like enjoy or read needs the helper verb do, does or did; the lexical verb keeps its place after the subject: Does Anna like her new job? Anna does not like her new job. The verb be works differently: it makes questions and negatives without do (Is Anna happy? Anna is not happy); see Question forms: yes/no and wh- questions for the question and negative forms of be.

The object stays next to the verb

When you add a phrase that says how, where or when, it usually goes after the object, not between the verb and the object.

  • I enjoy this song a lot.
  • She speaks Italian really well.
  • He closed the window gently.

Place before time

At the end of a sentence, put the place first and the time after it. A time phrase can also start the sentence.

Place and time
subjectverbobjectplacetime
  • We met at the bus stop at six.
  • They are flying to Porto next week.
  • Next week, they are flying to Porto.

Short adverbs

A short adverb like always, never or usually goes before the main verb, and after be. See Frequency adverbs: always, usually, often, never.

  • I usually walk to work.
  • They are never late.

Watch out

✗I like very much this song.

✓I like this song very much.

In this sentence very much goes at the end, after the object this song, not between like and its object.

✗She watches every evening television.

✓She watches television every evening.

Here the object television comes straight after watches, and the time phrase every evening goes at the end, not between the verb and its object.

✗They their grandma visit at the weekend.

✓They visit their grandma at the weekend.

In this statement the verb visit comes straight after the subject they, and the object their grandma comes after the verb; the verb cannot move to the end of this clause.

✗Reads your brother comics?

✓Does your brother read comics?

A question with an ordinary lexical verb like read needs does before the subject here; the lexical verb cannot move in front of the subject in this question.

What comes next

See Frequency adverbs: always, usually, often, never for frequency adverbs, Adverb position for other adverbs, and Question forms: yes/no and wh- questions for question order.

Practice

Eight questions. Choose one answer for each.