Level: A2-B1

Word Order: Place and Time — Practice

Where do at the gym and yesterday go in an English sentence? At the end — and when a sentence has both, place comes before time. Drill the rule with 24 click-to-hear examples and unscramble quizzes.

📝 Sentences unit · lesson 3 of 6 ⏱ about 6 minutes 🔊 every example has audio

Builds on Basic Word Order Next in unit Questions →

17:12 🎬 Watch: prepositions of place in 50 pictures (A1) Where? — in, on, under, behind, between, next to: 50 pictures.

13:32 🎬 Watch: telling the time — 48 clocks (A1) When? — read the clock: o’clock, half past, a quarter after and a quarter to.

🖼️ Prefer pictures? Prepositions of place picture dictionary — 50 pictures, where is the cat? Telling the time picture dictionary — 48 clocks, read aloud both ways

🎬 On this site: Every grammar video, listed in order

Quick guide

Place and time information goes at the end — after the verb and its object. She works at a bank.
Place comes before time when a sentence has both. I went to the gym yesterday. (NOT: I went yesterday to the gym)
Never put them between the verb and its object.

We ate in the park lunch.

We ate lunch in the park.

Memory trick: think P-T — Place, then Time, like "physical training" at the end of the school day. You can also move time to the front for emphasis (Yesterday, I went to the gym.), but the neutral home for both is the end of the sentence.

📖 Want the full explanation? See Building Sentences → Place and time on the main guide page.

How to use this page

🔊 Listen: click the speaker icon to hear the whole line read aloud.
Word audio: click any word to hear it spoken on its own.
🌐 Translate: choose a language then click the globe icon to open Google Translate.
☑️ Select & practice: tick the checkboxes to choose items, then print them, make a worksheet or flashcards, or start a quiz.

Place at the end
She works at a bank. – Place
The keys are on the table. – Place
We waited at the bus stop. – Place
He studied in the library. – Place
The kids are playing in the yard. – Place
My grandparents live on a farm. – Place
We ate lunch in the park. – Place
She parked behind the building. – Place
Time at the end
We have class on Monday. – Time
He gets up at six. – Time
The store opens at nine. – Time
She visits her parents every weekend. – Time
They got married last year. – Time
I will call you tomorrow. – Time
The meeting starts at ten. – Time
I brush my teeth before breakfast. – Time
Both together: place before time
I went to the gym yesterday. – Place + time
They flew to Miami on Friday. – Place + time
She walked to school this morning. – Place + time
We met at the cafe on Sunday. – Place + time
He goes to the pool every day. – Place + time
The children stayed at home all afternoon. – Place + time
She studied in her room last night. – Place + time
We are meeting at the airport at noon. – Place + time

Where to go from here