VEPT Sentence Building from Fragments — 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.'
Question 8: Rearrange the fragments to form a correct sentence: 'every morning / she / exercises / at the gym'
- She exercises at the gym every morning. (Correct answer)
- Every morning she at the gym exercises.
- At the gym exercises she every morning.
- She every morning the gym exercises at.
Correct answer: She exercises at the gym every morning.
The correct order places subject before verb and adverbial phrases at the start or end.
Question 9: Which arrangement correctly uses the fragments: 'quickly / the students / left / the classroom'?
- The students left quickly the classroom.
- The students quickly left the classroom. (Correct answer)
- Quickly the classroom the students left.
- Left quickly the students the classroom.
Correct answer: The students quickly left the classroom.
Adverbs like 'quickly' typically follow the subject and precede the main verb.
Question 10: Form a sentence from: 'have / we / for two years / lived here'
- We have lived here for two years. (Correct answer)
- We lived here have for two years.
- For two years we lived here have.
- Have we lived for two years here.
Correct answer: We have lived here for two years.
Present perfect requires 'have/has + past participle,' with the time phrase at the end.
Question 11: Which sentence is correctly built from: 'the package / by tomorrow / will be delivered'?
- By tomorrow will the package be delivered.
- The package will be delivered by tomorrow. (Correct answer)
- Will be delivered the package by tomorrow.
- The package by tomorrow delivered will be.
Correct answer: The package will be delivered by tomorrow.
Passive future tense follows: subject + will be + past participle + time phrase.
Question 12: Rearrange: 'are / the roads / because of the rain / slippery'
- Because of the rain are the roads slippery.
- The roads slippery are because of the rain.
- The roads are slippery because of the rain. (Correct answer)
- Are slippery the roads because of the rain.
Correct answer: The roads are slippery because of the rain.
The linking verb 'are' connects the subject 'the roads' with the adjective 'slippery,' and the reason clause follows.
Question 13: Form a sentence from: 'called / nobody / when / I arrived'
- Nobody called when I arrived. (Correct answer)
- When nobody I arrived called.
- Nobody when arrived I called.
- Called nobody when I arrived.
Correct answer: Nobody called when I arrived.
The main clause 'nobody called' precedes the subordinate time clause 'when I arrived.'
Question 14: Which correctly arranges: 'a letter / to her friend / she / wrote'?
- To her friend she a letter wrote.
- She wrote a letter to her friend. (Correct answer)
- She to her friend wrote a letter.
- A letter wrote she to her friend.
Correct answer: She wrote a letter to her friend.
Standard word order: subject + verb + direct object + indirect object phrase.
