There are five basic patterns around which most English sentences are built.

They are as follows:

S-V Subject-Verb John sleeps. Jill is eating. Jack will arrive next week. S-V-O Subject-Verb-Object I like rice. She loves her job. He's eating an orange. S-V-Adj Subject-Verb-Adjective He is funny. The workers are lazy. Karen seems angry. S-V-Adv Subject-Verb-Adverb Jim is here. Flowers are everywhere. No one was there. S-V-N Subject-Verb-Noun She is my mom. The men are doctors. Mr. Jones is the teacher.

At the heart of every English sentence is the Subject-Verb relationship. Other elements can be added to make a sentence more interesting, but they are not essential to its formation.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V pattern.

She sleeps. She sleeps soundly. She sleeps on the sofa. She sleeps every afternoon. She is sleeping right now. Mary will sleep later. The dogs are sleeping in the garage. Core sentence An adverb is added to describe how she sleeps. A prepositional phrase is added to tell where she sleeps. A time expression is added to tell when she sleeps. Verb tense is changed, but S-V relationship remains the same. Subject is named and another tense is used. New subject may require a different form of the verb.

Note: Any action verb can be used with this sentence pattern.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V-O pattern.

They like rice. The people like rice. The friendly people like rice. The people in the restaurant like rice. The people like boiled rice. The people like hot, white rice. Object modified with an adjective Object modified with more than one adjective Core sentence Specific subject Subject modified with an adjective Subject modified with an adjective

Note: Only transitive action verbs can be used with this sentence pattern.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V-Adj pattern.

He is fine. He seems happy. Jordan is tall, dark and handsome. Basic sentence with "be" verb Basic sentence with another linking verb Series of adjectives

He appears very comfortable. George became sick last night.

Adverb or intensifier added Different tense and linking verb

Note: Only linking verbs can be used with this sentence pattern.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V-Adv pattern.

The teacher is here. The teacher is over there. Teachers are everywhere. The teachers are in the lobby. Basic sentence Using an adverb phrase Plural noun and verb used Prepositional phrase functioning as adverb

Note: Only linking verbs can be used with this sentence pattern.

The following sentences are examples of the S-V-N pattern.

The man is a doctor. The women are doctors. My father is a nice guy. My grandparents are senior citizens. Basic sentence Using plural noun and verb Modified subject and complement Modified plural subject and complement

Note: Only linking verbs can be used with this sentence pattern. *Other, less common structures are dealt with in another unit. See also: Grammar: Noun and Verb Phrases If you have questions or comments about this page, please contact us. Be sure to include the title of this page in the Subject line of your e-mail.

Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary Verbs are the verbs be, do, have, will when they are followed by another verb (the full verb) in order to form a question, a negative sentence, a compound tense or the passive.

The verb "be"

The verb be can be used as an auxiliary and a full verb. As an auxiliary we use this verb for compound tenses and the passive voice. Note that be is an irregular verb:

Simple Present: Simple Past: Past Participle:

I am, he/she/it is, we/you/they are I/he/she/it was, we/you/they were been

You can tell that in the following sentences be is an auxiliary because it is followed by another verb (the full verb). (For progressive forms use the "-ing" form of the full verb; for passive voice, use the past participle of the full verb.) Progressive Forms

Present Progressive: Past Progressive: Present Perfect Progressive: Past Perfect Progressive:
Passive

He is playing football. He was playing football. He has been playing football. He had been playing football.

Simple Present/Past: Present/Past Perfect: Future I:

"be" as a full verb

The house is/was built. The house has/had been built. The house will be built.

The verb be can also be a full verb. In this case, it's not followed by another verb. If be is used as a full verb, we do not need an auxiliary in negative sentences or questions.

positive sentence: negative sentence: question:

They are fifteen years old. They are not fifteen years old. Are they fifteen years old?

The verb "have"

The verb have, too, can be used both as an auxiliary and as a full verb. As an auxiliary we use this verb to form compound tenses in active and passive voice. (Use the past participle of the full verb.) Compound Tenses - Active Voice

Present Perfect Simple:

He has played football.

Past Perfect Simple: He had played football. Present Perfect Progressive He has been playing football. Past Perfect Progressive: He had been playing football.
Compound Tenses - Passive Voice

Present/Past Perfect:

The house has/had been built.

Note that have is an irregular verb, too:

Simple Present: Simple Past: Past Participle:

"have" in positive sentences

I/we/you/they have, he/she/it has I/he/she/it/we/you/they had had

As a full verb have indicates possession. In British English, however, we usually use have got (havebeing the auxiliary, got the full verb).

full verb: auxiliary verb:

I have a car. I have got a car.

"have" in negative sentences and questions When we use have as a full verb, we must use the auxiliary do in negative sentences and questions. If we use have got, however, we do not need another auxiliary.

have as a full verb: have as an auxiliary verb:

I do not have a car. I have not got a car.

Do I have a car? Have I got a car?

The verb "will"

The verb will can only be used as an auxiliary. We use it to form the future tenses. The auxiliary verb "will"

Future I: Future II:

He will not play football. He will have played football.

The verb will remains the same for all forms (no "s" for 3rd person singular). The short form for negative sentences is won't.'

Examples:

I will, he will

I will not = I won't

The verb "do"

The verb do can be both an auxiliary and a full verb. As an auxiliary we use do in negative sentences and questions for most verbs (except not for be, will, have got and modal verbs) in Simple Present and Simple Past. (Use the infinitive of the full verb.) The auxiliary "do" in negative sentences

Simple Present: Simple Past:

He does not play football. He did not play football.

The auxiliary "do" in questions

Simple Present: Simple Past:

The verb do is irregular

Does he play football? Did he play football?

Simple Present: Simple Past:

The full verb "do"

I/we/you/they do, he/she/it does I/he/she/it/we/you/they did

As a full verb we use do in certain expressions. If we want to form negative sentences or questions using do as a full verb, we need another do as an auxiliary.

positive sentence: negative sentence: question:

She does her homework every day. She doesn't do her homework every day. Does she do her homework every day?

Sentences without the auxiliary "do"

In the following cases, the auxiliary do is not used in negative sentences/questions: the full verb is "be"

Example:

I am not angry. / Are you okay?

the sentence already contains another auxiliary (e.g. have, be, will

Example:

They are not sleeping. / Have you heard that?

the sentence contains a modal verb (can, may, must, need, ought to, shall, should)

Example:

We need not wait. / Can you repeat that, please?

the question asks for the subject of the sentence

Example:

Who sings that song?