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Build a Sentence

Complex SVO with multiple modifiers

With multiple modifiers, adjectives precede nouns, adverbs go near verbs, and prepositional phrases come at the end of the clause.

6 worked examplesBasic Svo

The pattern

Build outward: Subject + Verb + Object, then add modifiers around each part.

Worked examples

6 shown

Word order shown is Reach120’s reading of standard English usage for this sentence. ETS does not publish a correct/incorrect judgement for individual items, and this is not an official score.

hard

Tell me about your weekend.

The words you are given

  • reading
  • afternoon
  • the
  • I spent
  • spent
  • entire
  • in the garden
  • novels

The order that works

I spent the entire afternoon reading novels in the garden.

hard

What did the teacher say?

The words you are given

  • students
  • concept
  • the
  • all the
  • explained
  • She explained
  • to
  • difficult

The order that works

She explained the difficult concept to all the students.

hard

How does your roommate cook?

The words you are given

  • for
  • organic
  • prepares
  • She always
  • meals
  • the whole family
  • healthy
  • always

The order that works

She always prepares healthy organic meals for the whole family.

hard

What happened at the airport?

The words you are given

  • checked
  • identification
  • the gate
  • at
  • They carefully
  • carefully
  • every
  • document

The order that works

They carefully checked every identification document at the gate.

hard

What does the new intern do?

The words you are given

  • all
  • the
  • diligently
  • client files
  • important
  • daily
  • She diligently
  • organizes

The order that works

She diligently organizes all the important client files daily.

hard

What did your team build?

The words you are given

  • designed
  • a
  • modern
  • for
  • successfully
  • website
  • We successfully
  • the company

The order that works

We successfully designed a modern website for the company.

Practice this pattern against the clock.

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