VEPT Sentence Building from Fragments 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Rearrange: 'hardly / he / before / speaks / others'
- He speaks hardly before others.
- He hardly speaks before others. (Correct answer)
- Hardly he speaks others before.
- Before others he hardly speaks.
Correct answer: He hardly speaks before others.
'Hardly' as an adverb of frequency belongs between the auxiliary or subject and the main verb.
Question 2: Form a correct sentence from: 'is / there / a mistake / in your report'
- There a mistake is in your report.
- In your report a mistake there is.
- There is a mistake in your report. (Correct answer)
- A mistake is there in your report.
Correct answer: There is a mistake in your report.
Existential 'there is' introduces the noun phrase, followed by the prepositional phrase.
Question 3: Which sentence correctly builds from: 'enough / didn't / she / study'?
- She didn't study enough. (Correct answer)
- Enough she didn't study.
- She enough study didn't.
- Didn't she study enough.
Correct answer: She didn't study enough.
'Enough' modifying a verb is placed after the verb in English.
Question 4: Rearrange: 'the concert / was / absolutely / wonderful'
- Absolutely was the concert wonderful.
- The concert absolutely wonderful was.
- The concert was absolutely wonderful. (Correct answer)
- Wonderful was absolutely the concert.
Correct answer: The concert was absolutely wonderful.
Intensifiers like 'absolutely' precede the adjective they modify.
Question 5: Form a sentence from: 'finish / I / before / must / dinner'
- I must finish before dinner. (Correct answer)
- Must I finish dinner before.
- Before dinner I finish must.
- I finish must before dinner.
Correct answer: I must finish before dinner.
Modal verbs like 'must' precede the base form of the main verb.
Question 6: Which arrangement is correct for: 'carefully / the surgeon / operated / on the patient'?
- The surgeon operated on the patient carefully. (Correct answer)
- Carefully the surgeon on the patient operated.
- The surgeon on the patient carefully operated.
- On the patient the surgeon carefully operated.
Correct answer: The surgeon operated on the patient carefully.
Manner adverbs typically follow the verb phrase at the end of the sentence.
Question 7: Rearrange: 'my keys / I / where / can't remember / I put'
- I can't remember where I put my keys. (Correct answer)
- Where I put my keys I can't remember.
- I can't remember I put where my keys.
- My keys I can't remember where put I.
Correct answer: I can't remember where I put my keys.
Embedded questions use statement word order: 'where I put' not 'where did I put.'
VEPT Sentence Building from Fragments 3
Rearrange: 'hardly / he / before / speaks / others'