Declarative Sentences – Free Exercise

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Exercises

Choose the correct option for each field in order to construct a complete sentence that makes sense.

Subject Verb Direct Object Indirect Object
Constance gives her sister a CD.
Hervé explains his problem to Julie.
The children surprise their parents.

Form sentences using the words below. Pay attention to word order.

  1. les pommes/je préfère/aux poires
    →  . subject (je) + verb (préfère) + direct object (les pommes) + indirect object (aux poires)I prefer apples to pears.
  2. à sa cousine/écrit/Julie/une lettre
    →  . subject (Julie) + verb (écrit) + direct object (une lettre) + indirect object (à sa cousine)Julie is writing a letter to her cousin.
  3. raconte/à sa sœur/une histoire/Pascal
    →  . subject (Pascal) + verb (raconte) + direct object (une histoire) + indirect object (à sa sœur)Pascal is telling his sister a story.
  4. beaucoup de livres/prête/à ses lecteurs/la bibliothèque
    →  . subject (la bibliothèque) + verb (prête) + direct object (beaucoup de livres) + indirect object (à ses lecteurs)The library lends many books to its patrons.
  5. cache/l’immeuble jaune/à notre maison/le soleil
    →  . subject (l’immeuble) + verb (cache) + direct object (le soleil) + indirect object (à notre maison)The yellow building blocks the sunlight from our house.

Complete the sentences, paying attention to word order.

  1. Les grands-parents font souvent (aux petits-enfants/des cadeaux)  this sentence follows the general rule: the direct object comes before the indirect objectGrandparents often give their grandchildren gifts.
  2. Julie a présenté (un exposé sur son animal préféré/à sa classe)  in order to make the sentence clearer, French word order places the extended direct object after the indirect objectJulie gave a presentation to her class about her favourite animal.
  3. Eric et Julie montrent (le jeu qu’ils ont appris en vacances/aux voisins)   the direct object is extended with a relative clause, and is therefore placed after the indirect objectEric and Julie are showing their neighbours the game that they learned on holiday.
  4. Amandine a donné (à Georges/une claque qui lui a fait mal)  the direct object is extended with a relative clause, and therefore is placed after the indirect objectAmandine gave Georges a slap that hurt him.
  5. Internet offre (au journalisme/de nouveaux moyens)  the direct object comes before the indirect objectThe internet offers new possibilities for journalism.