Word Order in English

Verb + Object

The most common order of words in sentences is as follows:

Subject + Verb + Object

Examples:

• Sally speaks English.
• John reads the newspaper.

Place & Time

In English, the place is usually mentioned before the time.

Examples:

• I go to the supermarket every Saturday.
  (NOT: I go every Saturday to the supermarket)
• Bill has lived in London for 10 years.
  (NOT: Bill has lived for 10 years in London)

Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of frequency such as always, never, sometimes, often, rarely, etc. generally go before the verb.

Examples:

• Susan often goes shopping.
• I never gamble.
• They always sleep early.

However, with the verb to be, they go after the verb.

Examples:

• She is rarely late.
• He is never home before dark.

They can also go between two verbs.

Examples:

• I will always remember my brother.
• I have never been to Japan.

Parts of speech in English

English sentences are made up of words. Each word, in turn, is a part of speech. Here’s a quick review of the main parts of speech.

Category	Definition	Examples
Noun	A person, place, thing, quality or act	student, park, chair, kindness
Verb	An action or existence word	go, run, be, drink, study, feel
Adjective	A word that describes a noun	a happy person a sunny day
Adverb	A word that describes a verb, adjective, or adverb	He drives carefully. She speaks English well.
Conjuction	A word that joins words, phrases, or clauses	John and Mary tea or coffee I like you but I cannot go out with you.
Preposition	A word that describes a relationship between a noun and a noun, verb, or adverb	in, on, at, into, beside, above, below, with
Interjection	A word that describes a sudden utterance	Oh! Ah!
Pronoun	A word that replaces a noun or noun phrase	I admire Lili. She is an intelligent woman. Where is John? He is at the clinic.