11+ Verbal Reasoning: Shuffled Sentences and Missing Words

Sentence-level questions test reading, grammar and vocabulary together. They are especially common in CEM-style papers, and similar items appear in many other 11+ verbal reasoning and English tests. There is no single national 11+ test: grammar schools and local areas choose their own tests, and the formats vary (many use papers in the GL Assessment style, others CEM-style tests), so the exact question types you meet depend on where you apply.

This material covers three types. In shuffled sentences, the words of a sentence are mixed up and one extra word is not needed: from 'garden in the played children the happily table' you rebuild 'The children played happily in the garden' and name the extra word, table. The method is to find the verb and who is doing it first, build the rest of the sentence around them, and check that every word except one has been used. In cloze questions, you choose the word that best completes a sentence. The answer is decided by clues in the rest of the sentence: 'so … that she fell asleep at once' points to exhausted; 'although' tells you the second half goes against what you would expect; linking phrases such as as a result, however and instead each show a different relationship between two ideas. In swapped-word questions, two words have changed places — 'The farmer milked the barn in the cows' — and you find the pair that must swap back.

The vocabulary and sentence structures are chosen for pupils in Year 5 and Year 6. All sentences are original, and each puzzle was written so that only one answer makes sense; the explanations name the clue that decides it.

The quiz has twelve puzzles: five shuffled sentences, five cloze sentences and two with swapped words. The flashcards give the method for each type and the most useful linking words. The printable written work asks you to write out rebuilt sentences, choose words and explain the clue you used, and describe the shuffled-sentence method step by step. In the oral exam, the examiner reads out one puzzle at a time, asks for your answer and your reason, and ends with brief feedback on what to practise next.

• Rebuild a shuffled sentence and identify the word that is not needed
• Choose the word that best completes a sentence using clues in the sentence
• Recognise linking words that show contrast, cause or result
• Find two words that must swap places for a sentence to make sense
• Explain which clue decided an answer

Practice material written by Zestly for 11+ verbal reasoning and English (Year 5–6 entrance level); all sentences are original. Formats of 11+ tests vary by area and school.