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Basic Sentence Structure

There are five basic patterns around which most English sentences are built.* They are as follows:

S-V	Subject-Verb	John sleeps.
		Jill is eating.
		Jack will arrive next week.
S-V-O	Subject-Verb-Object	I like rice.
		She loves her job.
		He’s eating an orange.
S-V-Adj	Subject-Verb-Adjective	He is funny.
		The workers are lazy.
		Karen seems angry.
S-V-Adv	Subject-Verb-Adverb	Jim is here.
		Flowers are everywhere.
		No one was there.
S-V-N	Subject-Verb-Noun	She is my mom.
		The men are doctors.
		Mr. Jones is the teacher.

At the heart of every English sentence is the Subject-Verb relationship. Other elements can be added to make a sentence more interesting, but they are not essential to its formation.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V pattern.

She sleeps.	Core sentence
She sleeps soundly.	An adverb is added to describe how she sleeps.
She sleeps on the sofa.	A prepositional phrase is added to tell where she sleeps.
She sleeps every afternoon.	A time expression is added to tell when she sleeps.
She is sleeping right now.	Verb tense is changed, but S-V relationship remains the same.
Mary will sleep later.	Subject is named and another tense is used.
The dogs are sleeping in the garage.	New subject may require a different form of the verb.

Note: Any action verb can be used with this sentence pattern.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V-O pattern.

They like rice.	Core sentence
The people like rice.	Specific subject
The friendly people like rice.	Subject modified with an adjective
The people in the restaurant like rice.	Subject modified with an adjective
The people like boiled rice.	Object modified with an adjective
The people like hot, white rice.	Object modified with more than one adjective

Note: Only transitive action verbs can be used with this sentence pattern.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V-Adj pattern.

He is fine.	Basic sentence with “be” verb
He seems happy.	Basic sentence with another linking verb
Jordan is tall, dark and handsome.	Series of adjectives
He appears very comfortable.	Adverb or intensifier added
George became sick last night.	Different tense and linking verb

Note: Only linking verbs can be used with this sentence pattern.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V-Adv pattern:

The teacher is here.	Basic sentence
The teacher is over there.	Using an adverb phrase
Teachers are everywhere.	Plural noun and verb used
The teachers are in the lobby.	Prepositional phrase functioning as adverb

Note: Only linking verbs can be used with this sentence pattern.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V-N pattern.

The man is a doctor.	Basic sentence
The women are doctors.	Using plural noun and verb
My father is a nice guy.	Modified subject and complement
My grandparents are senior citizens.	Modified plural subject and complement

Note: Only linking verbs can be used with this sentence pattern.

*Other, less common structures are dealt with in another unit.

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Comments (11) Add Comment

Student
written by ivonne, January 31, 2008

this information is very good for students

sentence patterns
written by foad, August 07, 2009

and of course you know that there are 25 sentence pattersn in the english language

ty
written by arviel, August 15, 2009

thanks for the assignment tenks very much! ! ! ! ! smilies/wink.gif

[]( ~_^ )[]

comments
written by April, August 20, 2009

I love this topic.. smilies/wink.gif

this is what i am talking about...
written by dana mae carbonel, September 03, 2009

yes!!!!
i've done now my homework...
i will not worry now...

tnx
written by mary dianne u. zumarraga, September 18, 2009

..tnx for the information..goddbless..
tc olways..

sentence formation in a professional way
written by A.V.V.KOTESWARARAO, January 02, 2010

it is verry good i need moore examples

i want to write business letter i want to lern
written by villiarskhan, April 29, 2010

your web site so nice i want to lern business letter plz give idia

basic sentence structures
written by atika fatima, May 13, 2010

hello
I liked the article but yesterday somebody questioned me on pattern of writing sentences specially simple,compound,complex sentences.can you please guide me on this as I have an class again tomorrow.its an humble request.

asking some question...
written by Kate Lin, June 15, 2010

Hi.. I like to thank you for this information in your sites. It helps a lot.

But, I just want to ask, why is it in all pattern sentence the verb label only as verb. Can you please write what kind of verb being use? If it is a transitive, linking, etc.

I'm just kind a little confused in labeling a sentence pattern.

I am looking forward for your respond.

sincerely yours,
Kate Lin