Word Order Mini Lesson

Ashlynn Brady
Word Order

Word order is the arrangement of words in sentences. The order in which words are
placed in a sentence is important because it determines how something is understood and
heard.
Ex: (SVO) Subject Verb Object

English Ava pet the cat

(SOV) Subject Object Verb

“Ava” “cat” “pet”

Japanese (VSO) Verb Subject Object

Naderu “pet” Eiba “Ava” Neko “the cat”

Word Order

Every language has a word order sequence. In English, the proper linear constituent
order is Noun Phrase–Verb–Noun Phrase. Their typical grammatical functions are
Subject–Verb–Object.
Japanese actually has the most common word order which goes as follows, Subject–
Object–Verb. This means that Japanese is a verb final language, unlike Scottish Gaelic
where the verb comes first meaning it is a verb-intial language.(Yule, 2023).
Common Errors

When learning a new language it can be difficult to discuss new things when someone
may be used to saying the cat pet rather than I pet the cat. In English grammar, there are
rules and patterns to follow in order for our sentences to make sense. Since these
sequences vary through language it can be a difficult concept to remember.
Teaching this concept

Referencing back to the table chart in the first slide, teaching students equations that will
help them remember word order such as SVO Subject+Verb+Object is a great memory
tool for students to use.
Be understanding as a teacher that all students come from different cultural backgrounds
and have different experiences to language that they have been exposed to.
Teaching Word Order Activities

Story time!
Story telling is a very fun and creative way to exercise the word order skills that students are
learning. For this activity we will start with one word. Students will then take turns adding a word in
the correct order to create a phrase or sentence. Every student will be able to participate and watch
as sentence structure is created using the tools they have (SVO).
Ex:
Cat
The cat
I pet the cat
References

Yule, G. (2023). The study of language. Cambridge University Press.