Word order

  • A1 · Beginner
  • Grammar lesson
  • 60 min

The order of an English sentence: who + does + what + where + when (I eat breakfast at a small café every morning), and adjectives before nouns (a small café, big waves). The student reads a travel journal from San Diego, puts the mixed-up days back in order, and plans a weekend for a visitor.

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very muchon Saturdaysan old car

What's in the lesson

  1. 1Warm-up
  2. 2In this lesson
  3. 3Reading: Poppy's travel journalReading comprehension
  4. 4What does it mean?Grammar exercise
  5. 5Find the places and the timesGrammar exercise
  6. 6Word orderGrammar rule
  7. 7Which is right?Grammar exercise
  8. 8The sentence machineGrammar exercise
  9. 9The rest of the journalGrammar exercise
  10. 10Questions for your teacherGrammar exercise
  11. 11Say it naturallySpeaking practice
  12. 12A weekend for a visitorSpeaking practice
  13. 13About youGrammar exercise
  14. 14Wrap-up

Homework

  1. 1Homework: find the mistakeGrammar exercise
  2. 2Homework: make sentencesGrammar exercise
  3. 3Homework: which is right?Grammar exercise
  4. 4Homework: my travel journalDiscussion

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

A few questions about you before we start.

  1. Do you enjoy visiting new cities?
  2. Do you take photos or write notes on a trip?
  3. Which places in your city do visitors love?

Grammar rule

Word order

Whodoeswhatwherewhen
Ieatbreakfastat a small caféevery morning.
My unclesellsfruitat the marketon Saturdays.
Grandmabakesbreadin her kitchenon Sundays.
  • Usually where comes first, then when: at the market on Saturdays.
  • when can also go first, with a comma: On Saturdays, my uncle sells fruit at the market.
  • Nothing goes between the verb and what: I love my job very much (or a lot). (not I love very much my job) We watch a movie every Friday. (not We watch every Friday a movie)
  • With be: who + be + a place or an adjective: The café is near the park. The café is small.

Adjectives

  • before the noun: a small café, big waves (not a café small)
  • after be: The café is small.
  • no -s, also with plurals: red shoes (not reds shoes)
  • a or an goes before the adjective, and the adjective decides which one: an old car, a big house
Questions have their own order (lessons 2 and 10): Do you eat breakfast at home?

Teach it live with video and a whiteboard, or print it: the PDF has every slide, the homework and the answers.

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