Tuesday, March 12, 2024

English Sentence Structure

English is an SVO language. The basic sentence structure consists of the subject followed by the verb and the object. However, other structures are possible. The following sentences illustrate SVO and other sentence structures:

1) My father loves sports. (SVO)
2) It is late. (SVC)
3) They left. (SV)
4) I gave him an idea. (SVOO)
5) He lives in Boston. (SVA)
6) I saw her yesterday. (SVOA)
7) He arrived last week. (SVA)
8) Sometimes I paint. (ASV)
9) Autumn is my favourite season. (SVC)
10) Come here! (S) (VA)

The tenth sentence is different from the others because the subject you is not used. However, it is understood and can thus be classified as a covert subject. Adverbials usually follow the verb, but in the sentence Sometimes I paint, the adverbial precedes it. The fourth sentence has two objects, indirect and direct. The sentences exemplify the different structures of English sentences.

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