Lesson 1: Basic Sentence Pattern | Easy English Subject

In any language, words follow a definite order; otherwise meaning is lost. The word order is determined by the structure natural to the language.

Like other languages, English has basic sentence patterns, and the student is said to be proficient in English when he/she can recognize and produce automatically the basic sentence patterns of the language.

The basic sentence patterns include the S-V, S-V-O, S-LV-C, S-V-IO-O, and S-V-O-OC patterns. Also to be discussed in this lesson are the request patterns.





THE S-V PATTERN

The first basic word order in English is the subject + verb, or the S-V pattern. S stands for subject, and V stands for verb.

The basic S-V pattern may be expanded by adding modifiers to the subject, to the verb, or to both.

Examples:

     Basic form:

                      S        V
     a. The grass grows.

                   S              V     
      b. Everything changes.



     Expanded form:

                                S           V      
     a. The green grass grows. (modifier added to subject)

                      S          V          
           The grass grows rapidly. (modifier added to verb)

               S                                        V
     b. Everything in this world changes as time passes. (modifiers added to both subject and verb)
     


   

 THE S-V-O PATTERN

The second basic pattern in English is the subject + verb + direct object, or the S-V-O pattern. S stands for subject; V stands for verb; and O stands for direct object. This pattern may be expanded by adding modifiers to the subject, to the direct object, and/or to the verb. In the S-V-O pattern, the direct object follows the verb. Modifiers of the verb come after the direct object. We say: I like tou very much, not: I like very much you. We say: I saw you when the bell rang, not: I saw when the bell rang you.



Example:

     Basic form:

               S        V          O
     The girl reads a book.


 
      Expanded form:


     a. The pretty little girl reads a book. (modifiers added to subject)

     b. The girl reads a long, interesting book. (modifiers added to direct object).

     c. The girl reads a book in a hurry. (modifiers added to verb)





THE S-LV-C PATTERN

The third basic pattern of the English sentence is the subject + linkin verb + subjective compliment, or the S-LV-C pattern. S stands for subject; LV stands for linkin verb; and C stands for subjective compliment. The basic pattern may be expanded by adding modifiers to the subject or to the compliment.


Examples:

     Basic form:

                       S        LV          C
     a. Her bracelet is expensive.

                 S    LV       C
      b. Myrna is a student.


     Expanded form:


     a. Her attractive, antique bracelet is expensive. (modifier added to subject)

     b. Myrna is a hardworking student. (modifier added to component)





THE S-V-IO-O PATTERN

Another basic word order in English is the subject + verb+ indirect object + direct object, and O for direct object.

This pattern, like the others we have taken up, may also be expanded by adding modifiers to the subject, to the direct object, or to both.

Examples:

     Basic form:

                   S       V      IO        O      
     a. My aunt gave me a watch.

                   S          V       IO         O      
      b. My uncle asked me a question.



     Expanded form:


     a. My kind, thoughtful aunt gave me a watch. (modifiers added to subject)

     b. My stern, old uncle asked me a very difficult question. (modifiers added to both subject and object)





THE S-V-O-OC PATTERN

The fifth basic pattern in the English language is the subject + verb + object + objective compliment, or the S-V-O-OC pattern. S stands for subject; V stands for verb; O stands for object; and OC stands for objective compliment.


Example:

     Basic form:     

     S       V              O              OC
     I consider Mario my friend.


You can recognize the objective compliment because it is identifiable with the object or it means the same as the object. Friend refers to Mario.


Next lesson 》 The Negative Form in English | Lesson 2 》


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