“When do flights depart?”
The words you are given
- depart
- in the
- the terminal
- Most flights
- at
- morning
- early
- from
The order that works
Most flights depart from the terminal early in the morning.
Build a Sentence
Multiple prepositional phrases
When stacking prepositional phrases, order them logically: place before time, or follow the sequence of the action.
6 worked examplesPrepositional Phrases
The pattern
Place then time: IN the park ON Saturday, or logical sequence of movement.
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.
“Where did you stay?”
The words you are given
- stayed
- two weeks
- resort
- for
- at a
- We
- near the beach
- on
The order that works
We stayed at a resort near the beach for two weeks.
“Where did they meet?”
The words you are given
- gathered
- on
- at the
- They
- entrance
- of the building
- after
- class
The order that works
They gathered at the entrance of the building after class.
“When was the letter sent?”
The words you are given
- was mailed
- at
- the office
- before
- closing
- It
- from
- on Wednesday
The order that works
It was mailed from the office on Wednesday before closing.
“Where did the conference take place?”
The words you are given
- in
- the capital
- on
- The international summit
- during December
- at the
- convened
- convention center
The order that works
The international summit convened at the convention center in the capital during December.
“When did the expedition start?”
The words you are given
- research expedition
- departed from
- toward Antarctica
- Antarctica
- the coastal port
- The
- early March
- in
The order that works
The research expedition departed from the coastal port toward Antarctica in early March.
Practice this pattern against the clock.
More prepositional phrases patterns
Build a Sentence