Sentence Structure

Declarative sentences have nine basic patterns or structures based on the relationships between subjects, verbs, objects, and complements.

Please Note:

Before you proceed to learn how English sentences are built, make sure you are familiar with the five building blocks that make a sentence, i.e. subject, verb, object, complement and adjunct. 

Patterns with Examples

Declarative sentences have nine basic patterns or structures:

 

1. Subject + Intransitive Verb

  • Children laugh.
  • Patrick sleeps.

2. Subject + Be Verb +  Subject Complement [Adjective]

  • The coffee is hot.
  • The dog was hungry.

    3. Subject + Be Verb +  Subject Complement [Noun/ Pronoun]

    • Jessica is a doctor. 
    • My sister was the captain of the team.

    4. Subject + Be Verb +  Subject Complement [Adverbial]

    • The cat is outside.
    • The boys are in the park.

    5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Object

    • She reads a book.
    • The chef prepared a delicious meal.

    6. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object

    • She gave her friend a beautiful gift.
    • I bought my sister a new book.

      7.  Subject + Transitive Verb + Object + Object Complement [Adjective]

      • She found the cake rotten.
      • You made the dog angry.

      8.  Subject + Transitive Verb + Object + Object Complement [Noun]

      • They named the baby girl Lily.
      • The committee elected me their president.

      9. There + Verb + Subject

      • There was a king.
      • There sleeps the baby.


      Patterns with Explanations

      Below are the explanations of the above nine basic patterns or structures:

      Verb Type: Intransitive Verb

      An intransitive verb is a type of verb that can complete the meaning of the sentence without any object. That is, intransitive verbs do not have any object. So, if the main verb of a sentence is an Intransitive Verb, it has two basic elements - "subject" and "verb". Structure 1 belongs to this category of verb.

        Structure 1. Subject + Intransitive Verb

        • Children laugh.
        • Patrick sleeps.

         

        Quick Recap:

        A subject can be a single word or a number of words. 

        • Birds fly. [Subject is one word.]
        • Some students of our school shout. [Subject is a number of words.]

        Similarly, a verb can be a single word or a number of words. 

        • Birds sing. [Verb is one word.]
        • They are sleeping. [Verb is a number of words.]

        Adjuncts or Adverbials

        Sometimes we need to add extra words to make our sentences more meaningful. These extra words are "Adverbials" or "Adjuncts".
        What is an adjunct? 
        An adjunct is a word or a phrase that modifies the verb of the sentence. Adjuncts "modify the verb" means adjuncts tell us "when", "where", "why", "how", or "how often" an action happens.
        Grammar Note 1:
        An adjunct can be a single word or a number of words. Here are some example sentences containing adjuncts. 

        • Patrick sleeps in the class. [Adjunct is a number of words.]
        • Birds fly at large. [Adjunct is a number of words.]
        • Some students of our school are shouting loudly. [Adjunct is one word.]
        • She spoke with an air of confidence. [Adjunct is a number of words.]
        • She sings sweetly. [Adjunct is one word.]
        Grammar Note 2:
        Adjuncts are actually adverbials, so learning about adverbs can help you learning about adjuncts. You know there are several types of adverbials. Here are some examples for your quick recap:
        1. The words that answer the question "when" are Time Adjuncts [Adverb of Time]
        • She called yesterday. [Answers the question "when"] 
        • They discussed the project during the meeting. [Answers the question "when"]
        2. The words that answer the question "where" are Place Adjuncts [Adverb of Place]
        • They met at the park. [Answers the question "where"]
        • She read the book in the cozy corner. [Answers the question "where"]
        3. The words that answer the question "why" are Cause or Purpose Adjuncts [Adverb of Cause or Purpose]

        • They are absent for bad weather. [Answers the question "why"]
        • She read to learn. [Answers the question "why"]
        4. The words that answer the question "how" are Manner Adjuncts [Adverb of Manner]
        • He spoke calmly. [Answers the question "how"]
        • She completed the task with efficiency. [Answers the question "how"]
        5. The words that answer the question "how often" are Frequency Adjuncts [Adverb of Frequency]
        • They come twice a week. [Answers the question "how often"]
        • We visit India once a year. [Answers the question "how often"]
        6. 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]
        Adjuncts are optional elements of a sentence and they can be omitted without affecting the structure of the sentence.
        Remember:

        Verb Type: Linking Verb

        A linking verb is a type of verb that needs a subject complement after it to describe or rename the subject. A subject complement can be an adjective, a noun or an adverbial. 

        If the main verb of a sentence is a Linking Verb, it has three basic elements - subject, verb and subject complement. Sentence structures 2, 3 and 4 belong to this category. 

        Structure 2. Subject + Linking Verb +  Subject Complement [Adjective]

        • The coffee is hot.
        • The dog was hungry.

          Structure 3. Subject + Linking Verb +  Subject Complement [Noun/ Pronoun]

          • Jessica is a doctor. 
          • My sister was the captain of the team.

          Structure 4. Subject + Linking Verb +  Subject Complement [Adverbial]

          • The cat is outside.
          • The boys are in the park.

          Verb Type: Transitive Verb

          A transitive verb is a type of verb that needs one or two objects after it to complete the meaning of the sentence. A transitive verb that has one object is called a Mono-Transitive Verb. A transitive verb that has two objects is called a Di-Transitive Verb. Sentence structures 5, 6, 7 and 8 belong to this category.

          Structure 5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Object

          If the main verb of a sentence is a Mono-Transitive Verb, it has three basic elements - subject, verb and object.  

          • She reads a book.
          • The chef prepared a delicious meal.

          Structure 6. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object

          If the main verb of a sentence is a Di-Transitive Verb, it has four basic elements - subject, verb, indirect object and direct object.  

          • She gave her friend a beautiful gift.
          • I bought my sister a new book.

            Object Complement

            An object complement is a word or a group of words that describe the object or rename it. An object complement can be an adjective or a noun. If the object complement is an adjective, it describes the object. If the object complement is a noun, it renames the object.
            A transitive verb that cannot complete the meaning of the sentence without an object complement is called a Transitive Verb of Incomplete Predication. If the main verb of a sentence is a Transitive Verb of Incomplete Predication, it has four basic elements - subject, verb, object and object complement.  Sentence structures 7 and 8 belong to this category. 

            Structure 7.  Subject + Transitive Verb + Object + Object Complement [Adjective]

            • She found the cake rotten.
            • You made the dog angry.

            Structures 8.  Subject + Transitive Verb + Object + Object Complement [Noun]

            • They named the baby girl Lily.
            • The committee elected me their president.

            Introductory There

            Structure 9. There + Verb + Subject

            • There was a king.
            • There sleeps the baby.