Learn English: Learn english Sentence

The simple sentence

4 Basic clause structure

I Subject Verb

My friend is umiiting.

Nothing happened

2 Subject Verb Object

The company sells mobile phones

The dog has eaten my homework

3 Subject Verb Complement

This colour is nice

The old cinema became a nightclub

4 Subject Verb Adverbial

The concert is tomorrow

The photos lay on the table.

The Olympics arc every Jour years

5 Subject Verb Object Object

Sarah sent me a fax.

6 Subject Verb Object Complement

The project kept everyone very busy

The group made Simon their spokesman

7 Subject Verb Object Adverbial

i put my credit card in my wallet,

The police got the car out of the river.

sentence structure (1): basic word order

1 subject - verb - object/complement

In an affirmative sentence, the subject normally comes before the verb; objects or complements come after the verb.

Ann smiled. My father likes dogs. Eric is a doctor.

In a few affirmative structures the verb can come before the subject (e.g. So can I, In came Mrs Parker). . For sentences that begin with the object (e.g. Those people I can't stand),

2 preparatory it and there

When the subject or object is an infinitive phrase or clause, we often put it at the end of a sentence, and use it as a preparatory subject or object

It's difficult to understand what he wants.

She made it clear that she disagreed

There can be a preparatory subject for an indefinite expression .

There is a big spider in the bath.

3 direct and indirect objects

Indirect objects can come before direct objects (without a preposition) or after direct objects (with a preposition).

She sent the nurse some flowers. She sent some flowers to the nurse.

4 questions: auxiliary before subject

Questions normally have the order auxiliary verb - subject - main verb. Have you seen Andrew? Where was she going? Did Mary phone? Indirect questions have the subject before the verb.

Do you know where she was going?

5 negatives: auxiliary + not

Negative structures have not after an auxiliary verb.
The train did not stop. (NOT te-train-stepped-not.)
For word order in negative questions (e.g. Why didn't she come? / Why did she not come?)

6 adjectives before nouns

When adjectives are together with nouns, they usually come before them.

an interesting book difficult questions

7 adverbs: possible positions

Different adverbs can go in different places in a sentence: at the beginning,

with the verb, or at the end. For details,

Suddenly I had a terrible thought.

The children had probably gone home. I was playing badly.

An adverb cannot normally come between a verb and its object.

I like mushrooms very much.

8 subordinate clauses (after ... , if ..., because ..., etc)

Adverbial subordinate clauses (beginning for example, after, before, when, while, if, because) can usually come either before or after the rest of the sentence
After I left school I spent a year in China. (oR I spent a year in China after I left school.)

9 prepositions: in what ... I what ... in

In an informal style, a preposition can be separated from its object in certain structures. For details, see 452. Compare:

In what hotel did the President stay? (formal)

What hotel did the President stay in? (informal)

sentence structure (2): conjunctions

1 What are conjunctions?

Conjunctions are words that join clauses into sentences.

SENTENCE

CLAUSE CONJUNCTION CLAUSE

1 went to bed early because I was extremely tired

Conjunctions not only join clauses together; they also show how the meanings
of the two clauses are related.

We brought the food and they supplied the drink. (addition)

She was poor but she was honest. (contrast)

We can go swimming, or we could stay here. (alternative)

People disliked her because she was so rude (cause)

I'll phone you when I arrive. (time)

2 two kinds

And, but and or are often called 'co-ordinating conjunctions'. They join pairs of clauses that are grammatically independent of each other.

Other conjunctions, like because, when, that or which, are called `subordinating conjunctions'. A subordinating conjunction together with its following clause acts like a part of the other clause.

                   ADVERB
   phone you I    : tomorrow.
                         ADVERB
I'll phone you 1: when I arrive.
(When I arrive is similar to tomorrow - it acts like an adverb in the
clause I'll phone you . . . )

                        OBJ ECT
He told me I    : a lie.

                          OBJECT
He told me I : that he loved me.
that he loved me is similar to a lie- it is the object in the clause He told me . )

             ADJECTIVE
It's an I unanswerable I question.
                         ADJECTIVE
It's a question I which nobody can answer.
like an adjective in the clause(which nobody can answer is similar to unanswerable- it acts It's a question .)

Some conjunctions are made up of two or more words.
I stayed an extra night so that I could see Ann.
Let me know the moment that you arrive.
In grammars, clauses that follow subordinating conjunctions are called
`subordinate clauses' or 'dependent clauses'.

3 position of subordinate clauses

Adverb clauses can usually go either first or last in a sentence (depending on what is to be emphasised - the most important information usually comes last).

1 While I was having a shower, I slipped on the floor. (emphasises what happened)

2 I slipped on the floor while I was having a shower. (emphasises when it happened)

3 If you need help, just let me know. Just let me know if you need help.

4 Although the bicycle was expensive, she decided to buy it. She decided to buy the bicycle although it was expensive.

5 Because she was too angry to speak, Ann said nothing. Ann said nothing, because she was too angry to speak

4 punctuation

Commas are often used to separate longer or more complicated clauses. Shorter pairs of clauses are often connected without commas. Compare: I came home and the others went dancing.

I decided to come home earlier than I had planned, and the others spent the evening at the local club.

When a subordinate clause begins a sentence, it is more often separated by a comma, even if it is short. Compare:

If you are passing, come in and see us.

Come in and see us if you are passing

5 leaving words out

Words for repeated ideas can often be left out in the second of two co-ordinate clauses
but not normally in a subordinate clause. Compare:

She was depressed, and didn't know what to do. (= and she didn't know what to do.)

She was depressed, because she didn't know what to do. (NOT She-was depresseelrbeeetuse-dieln4-knetv--

However, after if; when, while, until, once, unless and (al)though, a pronoun subject and the verb be can often be dropped, especially in common fixed expressions like if necessary.
pay for you if necessary. (= . . . if it is necessary.)
If in doubt, wait and see. (= If you are in doubt ...)
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Cook slowly until ready.
Once in bed, I read for twenty minutes and then turned out the light. Many conjunctions that express time relations (after, before, since, when, while, whenever, once and until) can often be followed by -ing forms or past participles instead of subjects and full verbs

I always feel better after talking to you.

Some things are never forgotten, once learnt

6 conjunctions in separate sentences

Normally a conjunction connects two clauses into one sentence. However,
sometimes a conjunction and its clause can stand alone. This happens, for
example, in answers.
When are you going to get up? -When I'm ready.
Why did you do that?- Because I felt like it.
I'm going out, Mum. As soon as you've brushed your hair.
Writers and speakers can also separate clauses for emphasis.
This government has got to go. Before it does any more damage.
Afterthoughts may also begin with conjunctions.
OK, I did it. - But I didn't mean to.

sentence structure (3): problems with conjunctions

In most languages of European origin, clauses are joined together by conjunctions in similar ways. However, students who speak other languages may have some problems in using English conjunctions correctly.

1 one conjunction for two clauses

One conjunction is enough to join two clauses - we do not normally use two.

Although she was tired, she went to work.

She was tired but she went to work
(not Although she was tired but she went to work)

Because I liked him, I tried to help him

I liked him, so I tried to help him.

(not Because I liked him so I tried to help him)

As you know, I work very hard

You know that I work very hard.

( not As you know that I work very hard )

However, we can use and or or together with a repeated conjunction.

We came back because we ran out of money, and because Ann got ill.

She didn't write when I was ill, or when I got married

2 Relative pronouns are also conjunctions

Relative pronouns (who, which and that ) join clauses like conjunctions.
There's the girl who works with my sister.
A relative pronoun is like the subject or object of the verb that comes after it. So we do not need another subject or object.
I've got a friend who works in a pub. (NOT who he works in a pub )
The man (that) she married was an old friend of mine. (NOT The man (that) she married him )
She always thanks me for the money that I give her. (NOT the money that I give her it )

3 that, where and when

That is often used instead of which or who(m) (see 494-495).

There's the girl that works with my sister.

But we do not usually use that instead of when or where.

August 31st is a national holiday, when everybody dances in the streets. (not that everybody dances)

The house where I live is very small. (NOT The house that I live is very small )
But that . . . in can mean the same as where.
The house that I live in is very small.
That can be used instead of where and when in a few special cases (e.g. after
place, day);

I'll always remember the day (that) I met you

sentence structure (4): information structure

different ways of organising information

When we talk about a situation, we can usually organise the information in various ways - for example, by choosing different elements of the situation as the subject of a clause or sentence.

The storm blew Margaret's roof off

Margaret's roof was blown off in the storm.

Margaret had her roof blown off in the storm.

The way we choose to organise information in a clause or sentence can depend on what has been said before, on what the listener already knows, or on what we want to emphasise. This is a complicated area of English grammar. Some guidelines are given below.

2 normal order: important new information last

Most often, a clause or sentence moves from 'known' to 'new': from low to

high information value. So we often choose as the subject a person or thing

that is already being talked about or that has already been mentioned, or

something that the speaker and hearer are both familiar with, or even some

new information that is not the main point of the message. The important new

information generally comes at the end of a clause or sentence.

How's Joe these days?— Oh, fine. He's just got married to a very nice girl.
(More natural than ... A very nice girl's just got married to him.)
My father was bitten by a dog last week
(More natural than A dog bit my father last week.)
Our dog bit the postman this morning.

(More natural than The postman was bitten by our dog this morning.)
I can't find my clothes. — Well, your trousers are under my coat.
(More natural than ... My coat's on your trousers.)
To avoid beginning a clause with a completely new element, we can use the
there is structure. For details, see 587.
There's a cat on the roof (More natural than A cat's on the roof)

3 getting the right subject: actives, passives, etc

In many situations, there is an 'agent' (the person or thing who does

something) and a 'patient' (the person or thing that something is done to). If

we want to make the agent the subject, we can usually do this by choosing an

active verb form .

The storm blew Margaret's roof off

Somebody's dropped ketchup all over the floor.

If we want to make the patient the subject, we can usually do this by choosing

a passive verb form .

Margaret's roof was blown off in the storm.

Ketchup has been dropped all over the floor.

If we want to make something else the subject, we can often do this by using a

structure with have + object + past participle

Margaret had her roof blown off in the storm.

The floor has had ketchup dropped all over it.

Structures with have are often used to 'personalise' a situation by making a person the subject.
I've got the house full of children. (Instead of The house is full of children. OR There are children all over the house.)

We can often get the subject we want by choosing the right verb. Compare:

The biscuit factory employs 7,000 people

. 7,000 people work for the biscuit factory.

He led the children through the silent streets

.The children followed him through the silent streets.

Some verbs can have both agent and patient subjects. . She opened the door The door opened.

4 end-weight: it worried me that she hadn't been in touch

Longer and heavier structures usually come last in a clause or sentence. (These usually have the highest 'information-value' in any case.)
Children are sometimes discouraged by the length of time it takes to learn a musical instrument. (More natural than The length of time it takes to

learn a musical instrument sometimes discourages children.)

Because of this, we often use a structure with 'preparatory it' in order to move a clause or infinitive subject or object to the end of a sentence. For details,
It worried me that she hadn't been in touch for so long.
(More natural than That she hadn't been in touch for so long worried me.) It's important to tell us everything you know.
(More natural than To tell us everything you know is important.)
He made it clear that he was not in the least interested. (More natural than He made that he was not in the least interested clear.)
Adverbs do not normally separate the verb from the object in an English clause . However, a very long and heavy object may come after a shorter adverb. Compare:
She plays the violin very well (NOT She plays very well the violin.)
She plays very well almost any instrument that you can think of and several that you can't.
End-weight can also affect the word order of indirect questions. Compare: I'm not sure what the point is.
I'm not sure what is the point of spending hours and hours discussing this.

5 emphatic structures: What I need is ...; Nice man, Joe

There are various ways of giving extra emphasis to one part of a sentence. One way is to use a 'cleft sentence' with it or what this emphasises one idea by putting everything else into a subordinate clause. For details, see 130-131.

It was my mother who finally called the police.

What I need is a hot bath and a drink.

If we move to the beginning of a sentence something that does not normally go there, this gives it extra emphasis. This kind of structure ('fronting') is common in speech, where intonation can make the information structure clear. For details, see 513.

The other plans we'll look at next week. Nice man, Joe.

sentence structure (5): fronting

People like that just can't stand

Affirmative sentences most often begin with the grammatical subject.

I just can't stand people like that.

If we begin a sentence with something else ('fronting'), this is often to make it

the topic - the thing we are talking about - even though it is not the

grammatical subject. This can also move the main new information to the end

- its most natural position

This question we have already discussed at some length.

AU the other information which you need I am putting in the post today.

(from a business letter)

Any video in our catalogue we can supply, if available. (Notice in music

shop.)

Fronting is particularly common in speech.

People like that I just can't stand.

fat lot of good that does me. (= 'That doesn't do me much good', but

putting strong emphasis on me.)

Question-word clauses are often fronted.

What I'm going to do next I just don't know.

How she got the gun through customs we never found out.

2 Very good lesson we had

Fronting words in short sentences can also give them extra emphasis. This

happens mostly in speech.

Strange people they are!

Very good lesson we had yesterday. Last for ever these shoes will.

In a few exclamatory expressions, a noun is fronted before that, but this is

uncommon in modern English.

Fool that I was!

3 ellipsis: Postman been?

In a very informal style, articles, pronouns and auxiliary verbs are often left out, bringing a more important word to the front of the clause. This is called 'ellipsis': for details, see 179.

Postman been? Seen John?

Sometimes ellipsis is used to front a verb and/or complement, while the subject is put in a 'tag' (see 514) at the end.

Likes his beer, Stephen does.

Funny, your brother. Nice day, isn't it?

4 adverbs etc: Off we go!

Many adverbs and adverbial expressions can go at the beginning of a clause This often happens when we are using the adverbs to structure a piece of narrative or a description.

Once upon a time there were three little pigs. One day . . . Then . . . Soon after that . . . After dark,

Inside the front door there is . . . Opposite the living room is . . . On the right

you can see . . . At the top of the stairs

Adverb particles are often fronted when giving instructions to small children. Off we go! Down you come!

Inversion is necessary after some emphatic fronted adverbs and adverbial expressions.

Under no circumstances can we accept cheques. (NOT -Under no circumstances we can )

Round the corner came Mrs Porter.

5 fronting with as or though

Fronted adjectives and adverbs are possible in a structure with as or though

Young as I was, I realised what was happening.

Tired though she was, she went on working.

Fast though she drove, she could not catch them.

Much as I respect his work, I cannot agree with him.

sentence structure (6):spoken structures and tags

1 This guy who rang up, he's an architect

In informal speech, we often 'space out' the different elements of a sentence,
giving the hearer a little extra time to interpret each part before going on to the
next.

Last Wednesday it was, I was just going to work, . . .

It's terrible, you know, the unemployment down there.

One way of spacing out information is to separate a subject or object,
announce it at the front of a sentence, and then repeat it with a pronoun.

George Best - now he was a good player.
This guy who rang up, he's an architect. Well, .
That couple we met in Berlin, we don't want to send them a card, do we?One of my brothers, his wife's a singer, he says . . .

This does not usually happen with pronoun subjects, but me and myself are
occasionally detached and fronted.

Me, I don't care.
Myself, I think you're making a big mistake.

Another common way of separating part of a sentence is to introduce it with
You know . . .

You know Sylvia. Well, she . . .

2 tags: They work very hard, most of them

We can space out information by putting some of it in a complete sentence and then adding more details at the end. The extra words at the end are called a 'tag'.

They work very hard, most of them.
That's the doorbell, I think. I don't mind, to be honest.

It is possible to 'announce' the subject with a pronoun, and put the full subject
in a tag.

He hasn't a chance, Fred. He likes his beer, John.

They're very polite, your children.

In sentences like these, we often drop the pronoun at the beginning.

Hasn't a chance, Fred. Likes his beer, John.

We can also drop an unstressed form of be.

Very polite, your children.
Living in the clouds, you lot. Crazy, that driver.

The tag can repeat the verb by using an auxiliary. (He) hasn't a chance, Fred hasn't.
(He) likes his beer, John does.
(She) really got on my nerves, Sylvia did

3 emphasising tags: You've gone mad, you have

Sometimes a tag gives no new information, but simply repeats and emphasises
the subject and verb.

You've gone mad, you have.

I'm getting fed up, I am. He likes his beer, he does.

Pronouns are not usually used alone in tags, except for reflexives.

don't think much of the party, myself

sentence structure (7) understanding complicated structures

clause inside clause: Ann, when she finally

Sometimes an adverb clause is put into the middle of another clause, separating a subject from its verb.

subject + ifl when! after! because . + verb

Ann when she finally managed to go to sleep had a series of bad dreams

The government if recent reports can be trusted has decided not to raise interest rates.

In these structures, a noun may not be the subject of a verb that comes just after it.

Mr Andrews, when he saw the policeman, started running as fast as he could. (It was not the policeman who started running

Sentences like these can be hard for learners to understand, especially if they are long and complicated.

Mr Fisher, after he had completed his discussions with the bank manager, drew a large sum of money out of the bank and caught the next plane I.to Paris. (A learner might think that it was the bank manager who took the money and went to Paris.)

One way of deciding what to do if you have difficulty in choosing the best course of action is to toss a coin. (Does the sentence say that the best course of action is to toss a coin?)

2 that picture of the children standing ...

The same thing can happen when the subject of a sentence is followed by a descriptive phrase or relative clause.

subject + descriptive phrase/clause + verb

That picture of the children standing in front of the Palace talking to the Prime Minister is wonderful. (The sentence does not say that the Prime Minister is wonderful

The tree that Mary gave to my younger brother is growing fast.
The reporter who first made contact with the kidnappers telephoned the police immediately. (Who telephoned?)

3 missing relative pronouns: the film she was talking about

When relative pronouns (whol which! that) are left out this can cause difficulty.
It was a question a small child could have answered. (. that a small child could have answered.)
The film she was talking about at Celia's party turned out to be very boring. (. . . the film which she was talking about ...)
The manager of Brown's, the chemist's, has confirmed that bottles of shampoo he took off the shelties after animal rights protesters claimed to have put bleach into them did contain poisonous chemicals. ( bottles of shampoo which he took off ...)
The really important point is that because he did not invite the one man he certainly should have asked his father was angry. (Does the sentence say that he should he have asked his father?)

4 missing that The man claimed he was ...

We often leave out the conjunction that after verbs This can make complicated sentences more difficult to follow.

The man who was arrested claimed he was somewhere else at the time of the robbery (claimed that he was)

She insisted she thought he knew she was on the train. (She insisted that she thought that he knew that .)
In short news reports, that is sometimes left out after nouns.
Officials did not accept his claim he was innocent. (that he was innocent.)
The Minister denied the suggestion he had concealed information from Parliament. ( . . the suggestion that he)

5 past participles that look like past tenses: the children asked ... told the police

Past participles (e.g. arrested, accused) are often used descriptively after nouns,

rather like reduced relative clauses (see 498.10). When these look the same as

past tenses, they can cause confusion. In the following examples from news reports, arrested means 'who was arrested', accused means 'who is accused', and asked means 'who were asked'.
A court has heard that a young civil servant arrested after shootings on Tyneside left one man dead is to be charged with murder.
A Karnak separatist accused of leading an attack on a French police barracks in which four gendarmes died has been arrested.
A number of the children asked for comments on the proposals to expel some immigrants told the police they disagreed.

6 reporting expressions: The man who Ann said will tell us

Complicated structures can be produced when reporting expressions are
included in sentences.

This is the man who Ann said will tell us all about the church.

There are those people that I thought were going to buy our house.

Who did you say (that) you wanted to invite for Christmas?

What do you suppose will happen now?

This can also happen with reported question structures.
He's gone I don't know how far.
We spent I can't remember how much money on our holiday.
Mary gave me you'll never guess what for my birthday

7 heavy subject: Getting up very early ... makes ...

When the subject of a sentence is a long phrase or clause, the structure can be difficult to follow.

Getting up very early in the morning makes you feel really superior.

(The first seven words are the subject.)

Going on holiday out of season when everybody else is working can save you a lot of money. (11-word subject)

What Ann's little sister wanted above everything else in the whole world was a horse. (12-word subject)

8 heavy indirect object:

I gave all the people who had helped me ...
Similar problems can be caused by a long indirect object.

She gave all the people who had helped her with her research copies of her book.

He brought the village where he had grown up unexpected fame and prosperity.

9 more examples

Here are more examples of the above structures, some of them extreme, taken from news reports and fiction.

A 24-year-old labourer who was arrested in Trafalgar Square when he allegedly attempted to knife a traffic warden is said to have injured three policemen.
The Consumers' Association study showed 75% of parents thought junk food advertising campaigns made it harder for them to insist their children ate
healthy food.

The rebel leader found out that in spite of the precautions of the soldiers he had bought the guns from the police had planted an informer among them.
The report will look into claims the design of the courthouse the men escaped from was at fault.
Statements reassuring the public patients needing intensive care are getting it are total nonsense.
What they say is surprising isn't.
Pictures of the baby the judge ordered should not be identified by reporters appeared in a Sunday newspaper.
Police hunting thieves who dumped a ten-month-old baby in an alley after
finding him inside a car they stole have charged two teenage boys.
The head doorman at a nightclub where the ecstacy pill which killed P. L.
was sold has admitted he knew drugs were sold at the club..
But what bothered him more than what the files that were in the drawer could mean was the feeling that something was certainly missing.
Police called to a house in Hampshire after neighbours reported cries for help found 18-year-old M. F. stuck in a cat-flap after being locked out of his home.
Millennium Dome chiefs have refused to discuss reports they ignored advice attendance figures at the attraction would be lower than hoped. The Sunday Times says the Millennium Commission warned Dome owners the New Millennium Experience Company its own estimate was between 4.5m and 5m. NMEC reportedly insisted there would be at least 7m visitors this year.
(The Millennium Dome was a tourist attraction built in London to celebrate the year 2000. It lost an enormous amount of money.)