Clause Components

There are five elements that make a clause. We call them sentence elements or sentence components. The five sentence elements are: Subject, Verb, Object, Complement, and Adjunct.

Compulsory & Optional Elements

Sentence elements are two types: Compulsory and Optional.

Compulsory Elements: "Finite verbs", "subjects", "objects" and "complements" are compulsory elements.
Optional Elements: "Adjuncts" are optional elements of a sentence.

Subject and Finite Verb

Subject and verb are the most compulsory elements of a sentence. That is, every sentence must have at least two parts: a subject and a finite verb.

1. Finite Verb

The finite verb is the most important element of a sentence. You cannot form any sentence without a finite verb. It is like a pivot that carries the weight of a sentence.

In the sentence, the verb typically appears after the subject. A verb can be a single word or a group of words:

They built a doll house. [The finite verb is a single word (one word)]
The movie was exciting. [The finite verb is a single word (one word)]
The children are playing in the park. [The finite verb is a group of words (verb phrase)]
It has been raining for an hour. [The finite verb is a group of words (verb phrase)]

What is a finite verb?

A finite verb is the verb that shows tense (present, past or future) and agrees with the subject in number and person.

How to Identify Finite Verbs

To identify a finite verb, remember these key things:

1. Tense: Finite verbs show tense, indicating when an action takes place: in the past, present, or future. Here are examples of finite verbs demonstrating different tenses:

Present Tense

She walks to school every day. (The verb "walks" is in the simple present tense, indicating a habitual action.)
They are reading a book. (The verb "are reading" is in the present continuous tense, showing an action happening now.)

Past Tense

He watched a movie last night. (The verb "watched" is in the simple past tense, indicating an action that happened in the past.)
We were playing football when it started to rain. (The verb "were playing" is in the past continuous tense, indicating an ongoing action in the past.)

Future Tense

I will go to the store tomorrow. (The verb "will go" is in the simple future tense, indicating an action that will happen in the future.)
She will be studying all night. (The verb "will be studying" is in the future continuous tense, showing an ongoing action that will happen in the future.)

These examples illustrate how finite verbs change according to the tense, helping convey the timing of actions or states.

2. Agreement: Finite verbs change their form based on the subject's number (singular or plural) and sometimes person (first, second, or third). Here are some examples to illustrate this agreement:

Agreement in Number

Singular Subject:

He runs every morning.
The dog barks loudly.
She writes in her journal.

Plural Subject:

They run every morning.
The dogs bark loudly.
They write in their journals.

Agreement in Person

First Person (Singular):

I am happy.
I have a new book.
I eat breakfast early.

Second Person (Singular and Plural):

You are my friend.
You have a great idea.
You eat healthy food.

Third Person (Singular):

He is my brother.
She has a car.
It rains often in the spring.

Third Person (Plural):

They are my friends.
They have many books.
They eat together every evening.

In each of these examples, the finite verb changes form to match the subject's number and person, demonstrating subject-verb agreement.

2. Subject

A subject of a verb is the second compulsory component of any sentence.

In the sentence, the subject typically appears before the verb and does the action of the verb.

Nouns, pronouns, noun phrases, gerunds and infinitives can be the subject of a clause.

Nouns as Subject:

Boys love cricket.
Dogs Bark.

Pronouns as Subject:

She is going to the store.
They are coming to the party.

Noun Phrases as Subject:

A new book is lying under the table.
Pizza and salad are on the menu for dinner.

Gerunds as Subject:

Reading gives me pleasure.
Running makes us strong.

Infinitives as Subject:

To travel broadens our mind.
To succeed needs hard work.

Remember:

A sentence always begins with a subject.

Right: Tom is a cute dog.
Wrong: ~~is a cute dog~~.

Right: It looks after our house.
Wrong: ~~looks after our house~~.

Imperatives

Imperatives don't begin with subjects. The subject of an imperative sentence is 'you' which is not mentioned. It is understood.

Come to the board. [=(You) Come to the board.]
Draw a cat. [=(You) Draw a cat.]

Dummy Subject:

'There' can work as dummy subjects. Dummy subjects are not real subjects. The real subject appears after the verb.

There is a large tree in our village. [The real subject is 'a large tree'.]
There was a king in China. [The real subject is 'a king'.]

3. Object of Verb

An object of a verb is a noun, pronoun or noun phrase that receives the action of the verb.

An object appears after the verb.

She painted her bedroom.
They bought a postcard.

Direct & Indirect Objects

Depending on the verb, there are two types of objects in English: direct object and indirect object.

Direct Object

If a verb has only one object, it is called "direct object" (or simply "object"). An object is called "direct object" because it receives the action of the verb directly.

Sentence Structure: Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object

She read the letter.
I ate lunch.

Indirect Object

If a verb has two objects, one is "an indirect object" and the other is "a direct object".

The indirect object is a noun or pronoun that receives the direct object. It answers the questions "to whom" or "for whom" the action is done.

The indirect object typically comes before the direct object.

Sentence Structure: Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object

He offered me a cup of tea.
The teacher teaches them English
Ricky gives Micky a bat.
Grandma told Jessica a story.

Remember!

If a verb has two objects, we put the indirect object before the direct object.

Structure: Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object

I'll send you a post card.
She bought her husband a car.

If we put the indirect object (the person receiving the direct object) after the direct object, we have to use 'to' or 'for' before the person receiving the direct object.

Structure: Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + 'to'/'for' + Indirect Object

I'll send a post card to you.
She bought a car for her husband.

To or for?

We can use to with these verbs: bring, feed, give, hand, lend, offer, owe, pass, pay, post, promise, read, sell, send, show, take, teach, tell, throw, write.
We can use for with these verbs: book, bring, build, buy, choose, cook, fetch, find, get, leave, make, order, pick, reserve, save.

4. Complements

The complement is an adjective or a noun that completes the meaning of the sentence and adds more information about the subject or object.

Subject Complement & Object Complement

There are two types of complements: subject complements and object complements.

Subject Complement

A subject complement is an adjective or a noun that is used after linking verbs like be and become.

If the subject complement is a noun, it is called predicate nominative. A predicate nominative renames the subject.

Tigers are animals. (Tigers = animals)
Jim is a singer. (Jim = a singer)

If the subject complement is an adjective, it is called predicative adjective. A predicative adjective modifies the subject.

Tigers are ferocious.
Jim is smart.

Remember: Subject complements are used after the following verbs:

Be verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be & been
Sense verbs: feel, look, taste, smell, & sound
Verbs of perception: seem & appear
Change-of-state verbs: become, get, grow, go, & turn

Note that all the verbs can be replaced with a be verb.

Pronoun Subject Complements

Pronoun subject complements after "be verbs" can be in object form or in subject form. Object form is informal and very popular. Subject form is formal.

It was I who helped you first.
It was me who helped you first.

Subject Complement vs Object

Both the subject complement and the object are used after verbs. But a subject complement and an object are not same.

Compare the following sentences:

Ricky is a doctor.
Ricky married a doctor.

In the first sentence, Ricky and a doctor are same person [Ricky = a doctor]. Here, a doctor is a subject complement.

But in the second sentence, Ricky and a doctor are different persons [Ricky ≠ a doctor]. Here, a doctor is an object.

Object Complement

An object complement is an adjective or a noun that appears after the object and modifies or renames it [the object].

We elected James our captain. (Noun)
His conduct made them angry. (Adjective)

Remember: Object complements appear after the following verbs: elect, select, nominate, appoint, make, & call.

Object vs Object Complement

If a verb has two nouns after it, the second noun may be an object, or an object complement. How will you know?

Remember that the object and object complement are same person or thing.

But direct object and the indirect object are different. Look at the following two sentences.

The class elected Ricky their captain.
They gave Ricky a gift.

In the first sentence, Ricky and their captain are same person [Ricky = their captain]. Here, 'their captain' is an object complement.

In the second sentence, Ricky and a gift are different [Ricky ≠ a gift]. Here, 'a gift' is an object.

5. Adjuncts

Adjuncts are optional elements and can be omitted without affecting the internal structure of the sentence.

What is an adjunct?

An adjunct is an adverb or adverbial that provides additional information about the action of the verb. They answer questions like "when", "where", "why", "how", or "how often".

Examples:

Here are some examples of different types of adjuncts:

Time Adjuncts [Adverb of Time]

She called yesterday.
They discussed the project during the meeting .

Place Adjuncts [Adverb of Place]

They met at the park.
She read the book in the cozy corner.

Manner Adjuncts [Adverb of Manner]

He spoke calmly.
She completed the task with efficiency.

Frequency Adjuncts [Adverb of Frequency]

They come twice a week.
We visit the USA once a year.

Sometimes two or more adjuncts can appear in the same sentence:

The children played in the park joyfully. [Place + Manner]
They discussed the project during the meeting quietly. [Time + Manner]
They met at the cafe yesterday. [Place + Time]
She sings with passion on stage. [Manner + Place]

Position of Adjuncts

Adjuncts do not have any fixed position. You can use them in three places in the sentence. They are-

before the subject (front position),
between the subject and the verb (mid position) and
after the object or complement (end position).

Front Position

Front position means before the subject.

Last year I visited New York.
In the morning I found the thief.
Then he was free.

Mid Position

Mid position means between the subject and the verb.

He usually comes home at night.

If the verb phrase has an auxiliary verb and a main verb, the adjunct may go between them.

This will gradually stop bleeding.

End Position

End position means after the intransitive verb, or after the object or complement.

He finished the job well.
It hardly rains in winter.

Remember!

Adjuncts do not have any fixed position. You may use the same adjunct in any of the three positions.

He eats oats in the morning.
In the morning, he eats oats.

Remember, adjuncts are like sprinkles on ice cream. They are optional but delicious! They add extra flavor and dimension to your sentences, but the core structure remains stable even without them.