Sentence Construction

• Every English sentence is built on a subject + predicate - who or what the sentence is about, and what they do.
• Sentences also contain objects, complements, modifiers and a fixed word order that gives meaning.
• Common errors like misplaced modifiers, mixed constructions and incomplete comparisons can break the sense of a sentence.

We build sentences every time we say who did what to whom - three parts that almost always appear in that order in English.

Sentence construction is the way words are arranged to form clear, grammatical English sentences. Linguists call this study syntax - the rules that decide which word goes where.

Examples:

The dog chased the cat. (Subject + Verb + Object)

Sarah gave her brother a book. (Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object)

The film was excellent. (Subject + Verb + Complement)

In English, word order is fixed - change the order, and you change the meaning.

Subjects and Predicates

Every English sentence is built on two parts: the subject (who or what the sentence is about) and the predicate (what the subject does or is).

Incorrect: Ran very fast yesterday.

Correct: My brother (subject) ran very fast yesterday (predicate).

Examples:

The students are studying for the exam.

The Eiffel Tower stands in Paris.

Remember: no subject + predicate = no complete sentence.

Subjects and Compound Subjects

The subject is the noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb. A compound subject has two or more subjects joined by and or or.

Examples:

Anna is studying English. (simple subject)

Anna and Marco are studying English. (compound - two subjects)

My brother or my sister will pick you up.

When two subjects are joined by and, the verb is plural. When joined by or, the verb agrees with the closest subject.

Direct and Indirect Objects

A direct object receives the action of the verb (what? or whom?). An indirect object receives the direct object - usually a person (to whom? or for whom?).

Examples:

She read the book. (direct - what did she read?)

He gave his sister a gift. (his sister = indirect; a gift = direct)

The teacher showed us the answers.

The indirect object usually comes before the direct object.

Complements: Subject, Object and Predicate Nominatives

A complement completes the meaning of the subject or the object.

• Subject complement - follows a linking verb (be, seem, become) and renames or describes the subject (She is a teacher. The soup smells delicious.)
• Predicate nominative - a type of subject complement that's a noun renaming the subject (She is a teacher.)
• Object complement - renames or describes the direct object (They elected him president.)

Examples:

The film was excellent. (subject complement - adjective)

My sister became a doctor. (predicate nominative)

We painted the wall blue. (object complement)

Modifiers

A modifier is a word or phrase that adds detail to another word. Adjectives modify nouns; adverbs modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.

Examples:

The tall man walked slowly.

She has a bright red car.

He sings beautifully.

Modifiers should sit next to the word they describe.

Word Order and Syntax

Syntax is the technical term for the rules that govern sentence structure. The standard English word order is Subject + Verb + Object (SVO).

Adverbs and time expressions follow a pattern too: Subject + Verb + Object + Place + Time.

Examples:

She studies English at home in the evening.

Changing the order changes the meaning: The dog bit the man is very different from The man bit the dog.

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

A misplaced modifier sits next to the wrong word, making the sentence confusing. A dangling modifier has nothing to attach to at all.

Examples:

Misplaced: I almost drove my children to school every day. (Did you nearly drive them? Or drove them almost every day?)

Corrected: I drove my children to school almost every day.

Dangling: Walking down the street, the trees looked beautiful. (The trees aren't walking.)

Corrected: Walking down the street, I noticed the beautiful trees.

Mixed Constructions and Incomplete Comparisons

A mixed construction starts a sentence with one structure and finishes it with another, breaking the grammatical link. An incomplete comparison leaves out one of the two things being compared.

Examples:

Mixed: Teachers, a noble profession, involves a lot of patience. (Teachers are people, not a profession.)

Corrected: Teaching, a noble profession, involves a lot of patience.

Incomplete: Jenny's bike is faster. (Faster than what?)

Corrected: Jenny's bike is faster than Mike's bike.