Basic Sentence Patterns in English
You may not have noticed this, but English sentences can appear in several patterns.
These patterns describe the organization of sentence parts. It progresses from the
most basic to the most complex. As previously mentioned, English has five
fundamental sentence patterns.
Six Basic Sentence Patterns:
1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement (S - LV - C)
The initial basic sentence pattern in English is S-LV-C. This consists of a subject,
a linking verb, and a complement. Linking verbs are verbs that connect the
subject to an adjective or another word. Common linking verbs include be, am,
are, is, was, were, and seem.
In addition to linking verbs, we may employ sense verbs to create this type of
phrase structure. A sense verb describes one of the five senses (sight, hearing,
smell, touch, and taste).
Conversely, a subjective complement is a word or collection of words that
frequently follows a linking/sense verb. Subjective complements might be nouns,
pronouns, or adjectives.
Linking Verb and Subject and Object Complements
LV- linking verb (links a subject and a subject complement)
Verb be (is, am, are, was, were, will be, etc.), and the others, become, get, grow,
seem, appear, etc.
Subject Complements- a word or a phrase placed after a linking verb, and describes a
subject, hence it is typically a noun, pronoun, or adjective. Subject complements
appear when a linking verb shows up in the sentence.
The object complement, on the other hand, is a noun, pronoun, or adjective that comes
after a direct object to rename it or describe its transformation.
a. Predicative Adjective - An adjective describes subject.
b. Predicative Noun- A noun describes subject.
You may not have noticed this, but English sentences can appear in several patterns.
These patterns describe the organization of sentence parts. It progresses from the
most basic to the most complex. As previously mentioned, English has five
fundamental sentence patterns.
Six Basic Sentence Patterns:
1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement (S - LV - C)
The initial basic sentence pattern in English is S-LV-C. This consists of a subject,
a linking verb, and a complement. Linking verbs are verbs that connect the
subject to an adjective or another word. Common linking verbs include be, am,
are, is, was, were, and seem.
In addition to linking verbs, we may employ sense verbs to create this type of
phrase structure. A sense verb describes one of the five senses (sight, hearing,
smell, touch, and taste).
Conversely, a subjective complement is a word or collection of words that
frequently follows a linking/sense verb. Subjective complements might be nouns,
pronouns, or adjectives.
Linking Verb and Subject and Object Complements
LV- linking verb (links a subject and a subject complement)
Verb be (is, am, are, was, were, will be, etc.), and the others, become, get, grow,
seem, appear, etc.
Subject Complements- a word or a phrase placed after a linking verb, and describes a
subject, hence it is typically a noun, pronoun, or adjective. Subject complements
appear when a linking verb shows up in the sentence.
The object complement, on the other hand, is a noun, pronoun, or adjective that comes
after a direct object to rename it or describe its transformation.
a. Predicative Adjective - An adjective describes subject.
b. Predicative Noun- A noun describes subject.
