Sentence Structure: Order of Information

Order of Information in a Sentence

Learn where to put the object, place, and time in an English sentence.

In English, information goes in a fixed order. We put the object directly after the verb. Then we add place, then time.

Subject + Verb + Object + (Place) + (Time)

She → eats → lunch → at the office → every day

✓She eats lunch at the office every day.

✗She eats every day at the office lunch. (wrong order)

When you have both a place and a time, place comes first, then time.

Part	What it tells us	Examples
Place	where	at school, in the park, here, at home
Time	when / how often	every day, at 8 o'clock, on Monday, yesterday

✓I study at the library every evening.

✗I study every evening at the library. (time before place — avoid this)

Never put a place or time word between the verb and its object.

✓He plays football in the park on Saturdays.

✗He plays in the park football on Saturdays.

✗He plays on Saturdays football in the park.

Some verbs have no object (e.g. live, work, sleep, arrive). Place and time still go after the verb.

Subject + Verb + (Place) + (Time)

✓They arrived at the hotel last night.

✓She works in a hospital.

💡 Remember: Subject → Verb → Object → Place → Time. A good way to remember: SVOPT.

Exercise 1: Word Order

Click the words in the correct order to build the sentence.

Exercise 2: Sentence Builder

Choose the sentence with the correct word order.

Exercise 3: Error Correction

Each sentence has one word in the wrong position. Click on it.

Exercise 4: Gap Fill

Choose the correct position for the word in brackets.

Exercise 5: Matching

Match each sentence beginning on the left with the correct ending on the right. Click a left item, then a right item.

Exercise 6: Sentence Sort

Drag each sentence into the correct category: Correct Order or Wrong Order.

Exercise 7: Spot the Extra Word

One word in each sentence does not belong. Click on it.

Your Scores

Complete the exercises to see your results here.