The Basic Sentence Patterns of English

Sentence Patterns

The basic sentence patterns are:

1.

           

SUBJECT	VERB
The dog	is barking.

2.

SUBJECT	VERB	OBJECT
We	feed	the dog.

3.

SUBJECT	VERB	COMPLEMENT
The dog	is	good.

4.

SUBJECT	VERB	ADVERBIAL
The dog	sleeps	all day.
The dog’s kennel	is	in the garden.

5.

SUBJECT	VERB	OBJECT	OBJECT
We	gave	the dog	a bone.

Practice making sentences with your partner :

1.

           

SUBJECT	VERB
The dog	is barking.
We
	understands.
The telephone
	don’t know.
Tabitha

2.

SUBJECT	VERB	OBJECT
We	feed	the dog.
Tracy	understands
		Amina.
	didn’t do
The bus	hit
Nobody

3.

SUBJECT	VERB	COMPLEMENT
The dog	is	good.
	was	happy.
Helen and Dorota	are
	looks	beautiful.
The park
	feels

4.

SUBJECT	VERB	ADVERBIAL
The dog	sleeps	all day.
The dog’s kennel	is	in the garden.
Regine	lives
	cooked	yesterday.
Ling and her daughter
		at 6 o’clock.
		on the weekend.
Most people I know

5.

SUBJECT	VERB	OBJECT	OBJECT
We	gave	the dog	a bone.
	Wrote		to her family.
	didn’t tell	her husband
The three girls	wanted to give
		the man on the bus	a letter.
Annika and Sveta	are sending

We can add ADVERBIALS (see type 4) to any of the sentence patterns. The order is usually place before time.

We feed the dog in the garden every day.