Here is a brief list of 10 suggestions for subject-verb agreement.

1. A subject made up of nouns joined by and takes a plural subject, unless that subject’s
intended sense is singular.

She and I run every day.

Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite sandwich. (intended sense of singular)

2. When a subject is made up of nouns joined by or, the verb agrees with the last noun.

She or I run every day.

Potatoes, pasta, or rice goes well with grilled chicken. (last noun: rice)

3. Collective nouns (team, couple, staff, etc.) take a singular verb.

The football team is practicing night and day for the Super Bowl.
Boston’s school committee disagrees about what to cut from the school budget.

4. Connectives, phrases such as combined with, coupled with, accompanied by, added to,
along with, together with, and as well as, do not change the number of the subject. These
phrases are usually set off with commas.

Oil, as well as gas, is a popular heating choice.

Peanut butter combined with bread and jelly is a tasty snack.
(Here, the peanut butter, bread, and jelly are one unit, a sandwich, so no commas are
needed and we keep the singular verb.)

5. Collecting noun phrases (a bunch of, a group of, a set of, etc.) take a singular verb.

A set of 12 dishes is all you need for the dinner party.

6. “Each” takes a singular verb.

Each boy is excited about the meet; each is well prepared.

 7.  “None” takes a singular verb if what it refers to is singular and a plural verb if its referent
is plural.

None of the book is reproducible without permission.

None of the peas are left on Sean’s plate. (“peas” is the referent and is plural) 

8. With fractions, the verb agrees with the whole.

One-fourth of the books are gone. (“books” is a plural noun)

One-fourth of the sand is white. (“sand” is a singular noun)

9. With money, if the amount is specific, use a singular verb; if the amount is vague, use a
plural verb.

Within a year, $5 million was spent on building a new factory, and millions more were spent on
training future factory workers. (“$5 million” is a specific amount. Therefore the verb is
singular.)
Funds are allocated each year to help medical research. (“Funds” is a vague term rather than
a specific amount. Therefore, the verb is plural.)

10. The phrase “more than one” takes a singular verb.

More than one box is sitting in the hallway.

More than one car was involved in the race.

Usage - Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun is a word used to stand for (or take the place of) a noun.

A word can refer to an earlier noun or pronoun in the sentence.

        Example:
 

We do not talk or write this way.  Automatically, we replace the noun Lincoln's with a

pronoun.  More naturally, we say

   

The pronoun his refers back to President Lincoln.  President Lincoln is

the ANTECEDENT for the pronoun his. 

An antecedent is a word for which a pronoun stands.  (ante = "before")

The pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number.

Rule: A singular pronoun must replace a singular noun; a plural pronoun must replace a plural
noun.

Thus, the mechanics of the sentence above look like this:

Here are nine pronoun-antecedent agreement rules.  These rules are related to
the rules found in subject-verb agreement.

1.  A phrase or clause between the subject and verb does not change the number of the
antecedent.

            Example:
                    

2.  Indefinite pronouns as antecedents

 Singular indefinite pronoun antecedents take singular pronoun referents.   

            Example:

 Plural indefinite pronoun antecedents require plural referents.

                PLURAL:  several, few, both, many

            Example:

                    

 Some indefinite pronouns that are modified by a prepositional phrase may be either

singular or plural. 

          EITHER SINGULAR OR PLURAL:  some, any, none, all, most

              

               Examples:
                        

                        Sugar is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent pronoun.

                        

                        

                        Jewelry is uncountable; therefore, the sentence has a singular referent

pronoun.

                     

                Examples:

                          

                        Marbles are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.

                

                            

                        Jewels are countable; therefore, the sentence has a plural referent pronoun.

3.  Compound subjects joined by and always take a plural referent.

                    Example:
                         

4.  With compound subjects joined by or/nor, the referent pronoun agrees with the
antecedent closer to the pronoun.

                    Example #1 (plural antecedent closer to pronoun):

                          

                    Example #2 (singular antecedent closer to pronoun):

                          

    Note:  Example #1, with the plural antecedent closer to the pronoun, creates a smoother
sentence than example #2, which forces the use of the singular "his or her."   

5.  Collective Nouns  (group, jury, crowd, team, etc.) may be singular or plural, depending on

meaning.    

                          

                In this example, the jury is acting as one unit; therefore, the referent pronoun is
singular.

                    
                          

                In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the
referent pronoun is plural.

            

                             

                  In this example, the jury members are acting as twelve individuals; therefore, the
referent pronoun is plural.

6.  Titles of single entities. (books, organizations, countries, etc.) take a singular referent.

        EXAMPLES:

                     

                              
7.  Plural form subjects with a singular meaning take a singular referent.  (news, measles,
mumps, physics, etc)

        EXAMPLE:  

                            

8.  Every or Many a  before a noun or a series of nouns requires a singular referent.

            EXAMPLES:

                            

                            

9.  The number of   vs  A number of  before a subject:

 The number of is singular.  

                           

 A number of is plural.

                            
Clauses and Phrases
Definitions

 A clause is a group of words containing a subject and verb. An independent

clause is a simple sentence. It can stand on its own.

Examples: 
She is hungry.
I am feeling well today.

 A dependent clause cannot stand on its own. It needs an independent

clause to complete a sentence. Dependent clauses often begin with such
words as although, since, if, when, and because.

Examples: 
Although she is hungry …
Whoever is hungry …
Because I am feeling well …

Dependent Independent

Although she is hungry, she will give him some of her food.

Whatever they decide, I will agree to.

 A phrase is a group of words without a subject-verb component, used as a

single part of speech.

Examples: 
Best friend (this phrase acts as a noun) 
Needing help (this phrase acts as an adjective; see Adjectives and
Adverbs) 
With the blue shirt (this prepositional phrase acts as an adjective;
see Prepositions) 
For twenty days (this prepositional phrase acts as an adverb)
Sentence Parts and Sentence Structures
The job of grammar is to organize words into sentences, and there are many ways to do
that (or we could say, "words can be organized into sentences in many different ways").
For this reason, describing how to put a sentence together isn't as easy as explaining
how to bake a cake or assemble a model plane. There are no easy recipes, no step-by-
step instructions. But that doesn't mean that crafting an effective sentence depends on
magic or good luck.

Experienced writers know that the basic parts of a sentence can be combined and
arranged in countless ways. So as we work to improve our writing, it's important to
understand what these basic structures are and how to use them effectively.

We'll begin by introducing the traditional parts of speech and the most common

sentence structures.
Parts of Speech 
One way to begin studying basic sentence structures is to consider the traditional parts
of speech (also called word classes): nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions, conjunctions, articles, and interjections. Except for interjections
("ouch!"), which have a habit of standing by themselves, the parts of speech come in
many varieties and may show up just about anywhere in a sentence. To know for sure
what part of speech a word is, we have to look not only at the word itself but also at its
meaning, position, and use in a sentence.

Parts of a Sentence 
The basic parts of a sentence are the subject, the verb, and (often, but not always) the
object. The subject is usually a noun — a word that names a person, place, or thing. The
verb (or predicate) usually follows the subject and identifies an action or a state of
being. An object receives the action and usually follows the verb.
Adjectives and Adverbs 
A common way of expanding the basic sentence is with modifiers, words that add to the
meanings of other words. The simplest modifiers are adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives
modify nouns, while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

Prepositional Phrases 
Like adjectives and adverbs, prepositional phrases add meaning to the nouns and verbs
in sentences. A prepositional phrase has two basic parts: a preposition plus a noun or a
pronoun that serves as the object of the preposition.

Basic Sentence Structure 

There are four basic sentence structures in English:

 A simple sentence is a sentence with just one independent clause (also called a main
clause): Judy laughed.
  A compound sentence contains at least two independent clauses: Judy laughed and
Jimmy cried.
 A complex sentence contains an independent clause and at least one dependent
clause: Jimmy cried when Judy laughed.
 A compound-complex sentence contains two or more independent clauses and at least
one dependent clause: Judy laughed and Jimmy cried when the clowns ran past their
seats.

Coordination 
A common way to connect related words, phrases, and even entire clauses is to
coordinate them — that is, connect them with a basic coordinating conjunction such as
"and" or "but."

Adjective Clauses 
To show that one idea in a sentence is more important than another, we rely on
subordination, treating one word group as secondary (or subordinate) to another. One
common form of subordination is the adjective clause, a word group that modifies a
noun. The most common adjective clauses begin with one of these relative
pronouns: who, which, and that.
Appositives 
An appositive is a word or group of words that identifies or renames another word in a
sentence — most often a noun that immediately precedes it. Appositive constructions
offer concise ways of describing or defining a person, place, or thing.
Adverb Clauses 
Like an adjective clause, an adverb clause is always dependent on (or subordinate to) an
independent clause. Like an ordinary adverb, an adverb clause usually modifies a verb,
though it can also modify an adjective, adverb, or even the rest of the sentence in which
it appears. An adverb clause begins with a subordinating conjunction, an adverb that
connects the subordinate clause to the main clause.

Participial Phrases 
A participle is a verb form used as an adjective to modify nouns and pronouns. All
present participles end in -ing. The past participles of all regular verbs end in -ed.
Irregular verbs, however, have various past participle endings. Participles and
participial phrases can add vigor to our writing, as they add information to our
sentences.
Absolute Phrases 
Among the various kinds of modifiers, the absolute phrase may be the least common
but one of the most useful. An absolute phrase, which consists of a noun plus at least
one other word, adds details to an entire sentence — details that often describe one
aspect of someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the sentence.
Four Functional Types of Sentences 
There are four main types of sentences that can be distinguished by their function and
purpose:

 A declarative sentence makes a statement: Babies cry.

 An interrogative sentence poses a question: Why do babies cry?
 An imperative sentence gives instructions or expresses a request or
demand: Please be quiet.
 An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feelings by making an
exclamation: Shut up!

Parts of Speech
 Word types can be divided into nine parts of speech:

 nouns

 pronouns

 verbs

 adjectives

 adverbs

 prepositions

 conjunctions

 articles/determiners

 interjections

 Some words can be considered more than one part of speech, depending on
context and usage.
 Interjections can form complete sentences on their own.

Every sentence you write or speak in English includes words that fall into some of the
nine parts of speech. These include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions, conjunctions, articles/determiners, and interjections. (Some sources
include only eight parts of speech and leave interjections in their own category.)

Learning the names of the parts of speech probably won't make you witty, healthy,
wealthy, or wise. In fact, learning just the names of the parts of speech won't even make
you a better writer. However, you will gain a basic understanding of sentence
structure and the English language by familiarizing yourself with these labels.
Open and Closed Word Classes 
The parts of speech are commonly divided into open classes (nouns, verbs, adjectives,
and adverbs) and closed classes (pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions,
articles/determiners, and interjections). The idea is that open classes can be altered and
added to as language develops and closed classes are pretty much set in stone. For
example, new nouns are created every day, but conjunctions never change.
In contemporary linguistics, the label part of speech has generally been discarded in
favor of the term word class or syntactic category. These terms make words easier to
qualify objectively based on word construction rather than context. Within word
classes, there is the lexical or open class and the function or closed class.

The 9 Parts of Speech 

Read about each part of speech below and get started practicing identifying each.

Noun 
Nouns are a person, place, thing, or idea. They can take on a myriad of roles in a
sentence, from the subject of it all to the object of an action. They are capitalized when
they're the official name of something or someone, called proper nouns in these cases.
Examples: pirate, Caribbean, ship, freedom, Captain Jack Sparrow.
Pronoun 
Pronouns stand in for nouns in a sentence. They are more generic versions of nouns
that refer only to people. Examples: I, you, he, she, it, ours, them, who, which, anybody,
ourselves.
Verb 
Verbs are action words that tell what happens in a sentence. They can also show a
sentence subject's state of being (is, was). Verbs change form based on tense (present,
past) and count distinction (singular or plural). Examples: sing, dance, believes,
seemed, finish, eat, drink, be, became
Adjective 
Adjectives describe nouns and pronouns. They specify which one, how much, what
kind, and more. Adjectives allow readers and listeners to use their senses to imagine
something more clearly. Examples: hot, lazy, funny, unique, bright, beautiful, poor,
smooth.
Adverb 
Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and even other adverbs. They specify when, where,
how, and why something happened and to what extent or how often. Examples: softly,
lazily, often, only, hopefully, softly, sometimes.
Preposition 
Prepositions show spacial, temporal, and role relations between a noun or pronoun and
the other words in a sentence. They come at the start of a prepositional phrase, which
contains a preposition and its object. Examples: up, over, against, by, for, into, close
to, out of, apart from.
Conjunction 
Conjunctions join words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. There are coordinating,
subordinating, and correlative conjunctions. Examples: and, but, or, so, yet, with.
Articles and Determiners 
Articles and determiners function like adjectives by modifying nouns, but they are
different than adjectives in that they are necessary for a sentence to have proper syntax.
Articles and determiners specify and identify nouns, and there are indefinite and
definite articles. Examples: articles: a, an, the; determiners: these, that, those, enough,
much, few, which, what.
Some traditional grammars have treated articles as a distinct part of speech. Modern
grammars, however, more often include articles in the category of determiners, which
identify or quantify a noun. Even though they modify nouns like adjectives, articles are
different in that they are essential to the proper syntax of a sentence, just as
determiners are necessary to convey the meaning of a sentence, while adjectives are
optional.

Interjection 
Interjections are expressions that can stand on their own or be contained within
sentences. These words and phrases often carry strong emotions and convey reactions.
Examples: ah, whoops, ouch, yabba dabba do!

How to Determine the Part of Speech 

Only interjections (Hooray!) have a habit of standing alone; every other part of speech
must be contained within a sentence and some are even required in sentences (nouns
and verbs). Other parts of speech come in many varieties and may appear just about
anywhere in a sentence.

To know for sure what part of speech a word falls into, look not only at the word itself
but also at its meaning, position, and use in a sentence.

For example, in the first sentence below, work functions as a noun; in the second

sentence, a verb; and in the third sentence, an adjective:

 Bosco showed up for work two hours late.

 The noun work is the thing Bosco shows up for.
 He will have to work until midnight.
 The verb work is the action he must perform.
 His work permit expires next month.
 The attributive noun [or converted adjective] work modifies the
noun permit.

Learning the names and uses of the basic parts of speech is just one way to understand
how sentences are constructed.

Dissecting Basic Sentences 

To form a basic complete sentence, you only need two elements: a noun (or pronoun
standing in for a noun) and a verb. The noun acts as a subject and the verb, by telling
what action the subject is taking, acts as the predicate. 
  Birds fly.

In the short sentence above, birds is the noun and fly is the verb. The sentence makes
sense and gets the point across.

You can have a sentence with just one word without breaking any sentence formation
rules. The short sentence below is complete because it's a command to an understood
"you".

 Go!

Here, the pronoun, standing in for a noun, is implied and acts as the subject. The
sentence is really saying, "(You) go!"

Constructing More Complex Sentences 

Use more parts of speech to add additional information about what's happening in a
sentence to make it more complex. Take the first sentence from above, for example, and
incorporate more information about how and why birds fly.

 Birds fly when migrating before winter.

Birds and fly remain the noun and the verb, but now there is more description. 
When is an adverb that modifies the verb fly. The word before is a little tricky because
it can be either a conjunction, preposition, or adverb depending on the context. In this
case, it's a preposition because it's followed by a noun. This preposition begins an
adverbial phrase of time (before winter) that answers the question of when the
birds migrate. Before is not a conjunction because it does not connect two clauses.

Basic sentence pattern in English

In English, our sentences usually operate using a similar pattern: subject, verb, then
object. The nice part about this type of structure is that it lets your reader easily
know who is doing the action and what the outcome of the action is.

A subject performs the action in a sentence.

 For instance, in the sentence, “Matt eats pizza,” Matt is the subject because
he is the one eating the pizza.

A verb is a word that usually indicates some type of action. There are two basic
types of verbs in English: action verbs and linking verbs. An action verb
represents something the subject of a sentence does, whereas a linking verb
connects the subject to a specific state of being. In other words, a linking verb
describes a subject instead of expressing an action. Linking verbs are also known
at state of being verbs, and the most common one in English is the verb to be.

 If we consider the above sentence, “Matt eats pizza,” the verb is eats, which is
an action verb because it tells us what Matt does – he eats.
  In this sentence, “Matt is hungry,” our verb is, which is a form of to be, a
linking verb. Notice how Matt does not do anything in this sentence. Instead,
the verb is describes how Matt feels – hungry. Is links Matt with hunger.

An object usually appears after the verb. There are two types of objects in the
English language: direct and indirect.

 A direct object takes or receives the action of the verb. In other words, the
subject of the sentence acts on the direct object.
o The direct object in our sample sentence “Matt eats pizza” is pizza. Matt
eats what? Pizza.

An indirect object tells us to whom or for whom an action is done. To understand

this concept, we need to come up with a longer sentence.

 Our new sample sentence will be, “Matt cuts the pizza for Nate.” In this
sentence, our subject is Matt, our verb is cuts, the direct object is the pizza,
and our indirect object is Nate. The pizza is cut for whom? Nate because Matt
cuts the pizza for him.

So, remember, this is the basic pattern of an English sentence: SUBJECT + VERB
+ OBJECT.

Basic Sentence Patterns in English:

Rules and Structures You Need to Know
When I was still studying in my primary years, understanding the basic sentence patterns in English
always drives me crazy. I don’t know why, but this English grammar lesson often gives me a
sudden headache. As an English learner, I find it very difficult to comprehend the rules, not to
mention the confusing explanation was given to us by my teacher.

However, when I began my TOEIC training at QQEnglish with our grammarians from the United
Kingdom, I realized this lesson is only a piece of cake. I got really amazed by how our native
English trainer simplified everything to us and I think it would be best to share what I have learned
from them with you.
In English grammar, there are 5 basic sentence types you need to be familiar with. But before we
proceed to the main topic, let us first review the importance of a sentence and the elements we
can find within it. Previously, we considered English sentences as the most necessary tool for
communication. Why? Because a person’s ability to write and speak effectively depends on how
good they are at forming sentences.
Meanwhile, it would be more difficult to understand the basic sentence patterns in English if you
are not familiar yet with the basic sentence structure in English. So, you better learn this first for
you to comprehend this topic more easily.

To begin with, here’s a quick review of sentences.

The Basic Elements of a Sentence

A sentence has two basic elements: the subject and the predicate. The subject is always a noun, a
pronoun, or a group of words acting as a noun. It is what the entire sentence is about. Meanwhile,
the predicate contains a verb that describes the subject. Take note, verbs do not always have to be
action verbs. Lastly, subjects and predicates can be either simple or compound.

A sentence is a group of words that usually contain a subject (S) and a verb (V) and expresses a
complete idea.
The subject is a noun, noun phrases, or pronoun that usually comes before the main verb. It also
represents the person or thing that acts as the verb, or about which something is stated.

Verb, on the other hand,  is a word or group of words that describes an action or state.
A transitive verb has an object.
An intransitive verb does not have an object.
In the following examples, the subjects are in bold, while the predicates are italicized:

Grandma is awake.
He makes cakes and cookies.
Aside from the subject and predicate, sentences also contain objects. We have two kinds of
objects in English grammar: Direct and Indirect object.
A Direct Object refers to the person or thing affected by the action of the verb. (He bought a ball.)
An Indirect Object usually refers to the person who ‘benefits’ from the action of the verb. (He
bought her a ball.)
Additionally, we have the complement. A complement tells us something about the nature of the
Subject or Object. There are two types of complements: Subject Complement and Object
Complement.
Subject Complement = She is happy. S=C
Object Complement = He made her happy. O=C
And lastly, we have the modifier. A modifier is a word or group of words that modifies another
word or group.
Now that we’re done with this recap, it is time to proceed to the lesson properly.
The 5 Basic Sentence Patterns in English
You might have not noticed this one, but English sentences may present themselves in varying
patterns. These patterns refer to the arrangements of the elements of a sentence. It starts from
the most basic, to the most complex. As mentioned, there are five basic sentence patterns in
English. Among them are:

1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S – LV – C)

2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S – IV )
3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S – TV – DO )
4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object  ( S – TV – IO – DO )
5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement  ( S – TV – DO – OC)
1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S - LV - C)
The first basic sentence pattern in English we have the S–LV–C. This includes a subject, a linking
verb, and a complement. Linking verbs are the types of verbs that join the subject with an adjective
or another noun. Some commonly used linking verbs include be, am, are, is, was, were, and seem.
Apart from linking verbs, we can also use sense verbs to make this type of sentence pattern.
A sense verb is a verb that describes one of the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.
On the other hand, a subjective complement is a word or a group of words that often follow a
linking/sense verb. Subjective complements can either be nouns, pronouns, or adjectives.

Consider the order of the subject, linking/sense verb, and complements in the following sentences:
1. She looks happy.

S: She
LV: looks
C: happy
2. Orange and Yellow are bright colors.

S: Orange and Yellow

LV: are
C: bright colors
3. The food tastes bad.

S: The food
LV: tastes
C: bad
2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S - IV )
When learning the basic sentence patterns, the S–IV pattern is the simplest sentence type. It
includes just a subject and an intransitive verb. Grammatically, intransitive verbs do not need a
direct object. Unlike transitive verbs, verbs belonging to this type don’t answer the question
“what?”. In most cases, dynamic and locomotive verbs (or verbs that express movement) belong to
this sentence pattern.
Also, this pattern uses verbs that are in the base form and doesn’t need supporting information.
This means that the thought of the sentence was already completed by the action of the verb.
Below are sample sentences with the S-IV sentence pattern.
1. She swims.

2. The book fell.

3. Peter marches.

4. Peter sneezed.

5. Evil exists.

3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S - TV - DO )

This time let’s move on to the third basic sentence patterns in English we all are familiar with: the
S–TV–DO pattern. This pattern includes a subject, a transitive verb, and a direct object. Here, we
use transitive verbs, which means that we need a direct object. The trick here is to make sure our
verb answers the question “what?”
Moreover, this pattern uses a verb that is in the =s form, most especially the stative verbs. The S-
TV-DO pattern, unlike the S-IV pattern, needs supporting information, especially the object pointed
about in the sentence (noun).

In the sample sentences we have below, the subject, transitive verb, and direct object are placed in
a fixed order.
1. They are baking cookies and cakes.

S: they
TV: are baking
DO: cookies and cakes
2. The batter hit the ball.

S: The batter
TV: hit
DO: the ball
3. She teaches English.

S: She

TV: teaches

DO: English
4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object ( S - TV -
IO - DO )
Next in the list of basic sentence patterns is the S–TV–IO–DO sentence. This type includes a
subject, a transitive verb, an indirect object, and a direct object. If you have forgotten what indirect
and direct objects are, CLICK here for a refresher.
In the sentences below, you’ll notice that the subject, the transitive verb, the indirect object, and
the direct object are placed in the correct order.
1. Mary lent Josh money.

S: Mary
TV: lent
IO: Josh
DO: money
2. Ana taught her the answer.

S: Ana
TV: taught
IO: her
DO: the answer
3. He gave him the money.

S: He
TV: gave
IO: him
DO: the money
Interestingly, there are instances where the Direct Objects come first before Indirect Object in the
sentences. And although some grammarians insist on its correctness, some consider the pattern
acceptable in English. So, instead of  S–TV–IO–DO,  the pattern then becomes  S–TV–DO-IO.
For example:
He gave him the money. (S–TV–IO-DO)
He gave the money to him. (S–TV–DO-IO)
5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement ( S -
TV - DO - OC)
The last basic sentence pattern we have in English is the S–TV–DO–OC sentence type. This
sentence pattern includes a subject, transitive verb, direct object, and an objective complement.
Unlike subjective complements, objective complements describe a direct object.
The object complement in this sentence pattern refers to a specific description of the direct object
being done by the subject, with the use of the verb. Generally, the OC in this pattern could be a
noun, an adjective, or an adverb.

Check out the examples we have below.

1. She called the boy attractive.

S: She
TV: called
DO: the boy
OC: attractive
2. They painted the house blue.

S: They
TV: painted
DO: the house
OC: blue
Basic Sentence Patterns in English: Important notes to learn
As you move forward in learning English grammar, understanding the basic sentence patterns in
English is essential. Although there are over 10 sentence patterns in English, the five basic
sentence patterns that we discussed are the most common. They are the following.

1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S – LV – C)

For example:
I am happy.
2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S – IV )
For example:
Horses run.
3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S – TV – DO )
For example:
Amy tutors Chris.
4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object ( S – TV – IO – DO )
For example:
The instructor assigned Steve poetry.
5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement ( S – TV – DO – OC)
For example:
Mary considered Ana her friend.

English Sentence Structure

The following statements are true about sentences in English:

 A new sentence begins with a capital letter.

o He obtained his degree.

 A sentence ends with punctuation (a period, a question mark, or an exclamation point).

o He obtained his degree.

 A sentence contains a subject that is only given once.

o Smith he obtained his degree.

 A sentence contains a verb or a verb phrase.

o He obtained his degree.

 A sentence follows Subject + Verb + Object word order.

o He (subject) obtained (verb) his degree (object).
  A sentence must have a complete idea that stands alone. This is also called an
independent clause.
o He obtained his degree.

BASIC SENTENCE STRUCTURE

Parts of Sentences: Subject, Predicate, Object, Indirect Object, Complement

Every word in a sentence serves a specific purpose within the structure of that particular
sentence. According to rules of grammar, sentence structure can sometimes be quite complicated. For
the sake of simplicity, however, the basic parts of a sentence are discussed here.

The two most basic parts of a sentence are the subject and predicate.

SUBJECT

The subject of a sentence is the person, place, or thing that is performing the action of the
sentence. The subject represents what or whom the sentence is about. The simple subject
usually contains a noun or pronoun and can include modifying words, phrases, or clauses.

The man . . .

PREDICATE

The predicate expresses action or being within the sentence. The simple predicate
contains the verb and can also contain modifying words, phrases, or clauses.

The man /  builds a house.

The subject and predicate make up the two basic structural parts of any complete sentence. In
addition, there are other elements, contained within the subject or predicate, that add meaning or
detail. These elements include the direct object, indirect object, and subject complement. All of these
elements can be expanded and further combined into simple, compound, complex, or
compound/complex sentences. (See TIP Sheet on "Sentence Type and Purpose.") 

DIRECT OBJECT

The direct object receives the action of the sentence. The direct object is usually a noun or
pronoun.

The man builds a house. 

The man builds it.

INDIRECT OBJECT

The indirect object indicates to whom or for whom the action of the sentence is being
done. The indirect object is usually a noun or pronoun.

The man builds his family  a house. 

The man builds them a house.

SUBJECT COMPLEMENT

A subject complement either renames or describes the subject, and therefore is usually a
noun, pronoun, or adjective. Subject complements occur when there is a linking
verb within the sentence (often a linking verb is a form of the verb to be).

The man is a good  father. (father = noun which renames the subject)

The man seems kind. (kind = adjective which describes the subject)

Note: As an example of the difference between parts of speech and parts of a sentence, a noun can
function within a sentence as subject, direct object, indirect object, object of a preposition, or subject
complement.

ences