BASIC SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Basic Sentence Patterns

Meaning in an English sentence is conveyed not only by the words but also by the arrangement, or pattern, of the words.

There are five basic sentence patterns in English.

The simplest pattern is a subject followed by an intransitive verb

A verb that is complete by itself and does not need to have a direct object.

, as in the following examples:

The customer complained.
subject = the customer
verb = complained
The customer complained loudly.
The flight from Tahiti departed on time.
The weary passengers will disembark in a few minutes.

The meaning of a sentence in this pattern is simply that the subject did something. A person, place, or thing acted in a certain way.

This pattern is most effective in showing a simple action. The emphasis is on the actor and the action, with no other elements to distract the reader

Subject-Verb-Direct Object-Complement

Meaning in an English sentence is conveyed not only by the words but also by the arrangement, or pattern, of the words.

There are five basic sentence patterns in English.

One pattern consists of a subject followed by a verb, a direct object, and an object complement

A word or group of words that renames or describes a direct object.

. The object complement may be a noun, as in the following examples:

His sister called him a genius.
subject = his sister
verb = called
direct object = him
object complement = a genius

The object complement may be an adjective, as in these examples:

His sister called him brilliant.
subject = his sister
verb = called
direct object = him
object complement = brilliant
Her flattery made him embarrassed.
The local residents called the travelers intruders.
Most countries make their flags both decorative and symbolic.

A sentence in this pattern is usually about a relationship between the subject and the direct object. The complement describes that relationship.

This pattern is especially effective in providing evidence for an argument. It allows you to report the gist of someone’s statements, position, or attitude, as in the following sentences:

Experts consider the president’s environmental policy disastrous.
Vacationers found the year-round residents antagonistic.
Some Puerto Rican citizens have made statehood a priority.



Subject-Verb-Complement

Meaning in an English sentence is conveyed not only by the words but also by the arrangement, or pattern, of the words.

There are five basic sentence patterns in English.

One of them consists of a subject followed by a verb and a subject complement

A word or group of words that follows a linking verb and renames or describes the subject.

. The complement may be a noun, as in the following examples:

Dr. Smith is our writing instructor.
subject = Dr. Smith
verb = is
complement = our writing instructor
The Washington Monument is an obelisk.
Philadelphia was once the capital.

The complement may also be an adjective, as in these examples:

The performer seemed nervous.
The tourists became impatient.
The city streets appeared abandoned.

The meaning of a sentence in this pattern is that the subject is, was, or seemed to be something.

This pattern is most effective in defining. Most definitions begin with a statement in the subject-verb-complement pattern, as this example does:

An oasis is a fertile, wet place in the desert.

It is also useful in description:

As the sun set, the Hawaiian sky became an artist’s palette of vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows.

And it is useful in classifying:

The Nile, the Congo, the Niger, the Zambezi, the Orange, and the Limpopo are major rivers in Africa.

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