English sentence structure is mostly predictable.
Once you learn the patterns, producing syntactically-correct sentences will be simple.
Basic English syntax (a word to describe sentence structure; or the way we construct a sentence) looks like this:
SUBJECT + VERB + (OBJECT)
For example:
English is quite rigid (or strict) with this form and neither the Subject nor the Verb should be reordered or left out in a typical sentence. Of course, there are exceptions, and these typically take place with particular grammar structures, like Passive Voice or Inversion, and informal, spoken English.
Each part, the SUBJECT, VERB or OBJECT, can be as short or as long as needed. We will look at the many different ways each part can appear.
The SUBJECT
The subject of the sentence tells us two things. Firstly, who or what the sentence is talking about. Secondly, it is the thing or person that performs the action (or verb). The subject takes the form of a noun (one word) or a noun phrase (2 or more words). Subjects can get confusing because it can be hard to know when the subject ends and the verb begins. Let's have a look at some examples.
The subject is now a noun phrase. Remember that most nouns in English require something in front of them, like a Determiner. Here are some other words that can go before a noun.
Noun phrases as subjects may consist of a determiner (e.g. a, the, some, my, these), and one or more adjectives before the noun.
The subject may consist of a noun phrase, like in the example before, and a prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition (e.g. in, at, on, with) and serves to add extra information about the noun.
The subject may consist of a noun phrase and a relative clause. Relative clauses serve to add information about the noun. The difference between a relative clause and a prepositional phrase (e.g. with long ears) is that the relative clause, as the name suggests, is a clause (a subject + verb), whereas in a prepositional phrase, it is a preposition plus a noun phrase.
The OBJECT
The object of the sentence typically receives or experiences the action. Objects have the same form as subjects. It is possible to place all of the blue boxes above in the green area. Here are a few examples.
The VERB
The verb of the sentence tells us what is happening. It describes the action. The verb may include one or more verbs (depending on the verb pattern or tense) and may include an adverb to modify the verb.
In these two sentences, the verb phrase (two or more words where the verb is the most important part) is made up of a verb pattern. Some verbs are followed by an infinitive and others are followed by a verb+ing. Knowing which verbs belong to which group is a separate grammar lesson.
The verb phrase may also consist of several parts that form a basic tense. See the following examples.
This sentence uses present continuous. are is an auxiliary verb and eating is the main verb.
This sentences uses present perfect continuous. have and been are both auxiliary verbs and eating is the main verb.
We can also add adverbs to modify the verb. These adverbs may talk about how often something happens. The adverb (if it is a single word), goes before the main verb.
Adverbs may also talk about how the verb is performed, or in what manner it is performed. These adverbs tend to go after the object, but sometimes it's possible before the main verb.
It's also possible to combine all of the above features of the verb phrase together as in the example below.
Adverbs are a particularly complicated and tricky topic, which will be discussed in another lesson. While there are certainly adverb patterns, it's difficult to state a rule as there are many exceptions with adverbs.
Putting it all together
It is certainly possible to combine all of the elements above to form one sentence. Unfortunately, the colourful table would extend beyond the width of the website and look like a total mess. But it could look like this:
The cute white rabbits with fluffy ears have never learned to eat big juicy apples that come from America.
However, the sentence is still incomplete. It is possible to add extra information to either the beginning or end of the sentence. This extra information looks like a prepositional phrase or adverb phrase (as seen in the noun phrase above), but it modifies the entire clause. In this example, I will keep the noun and verb phrases short for convenience.
As we can see, the prepositional phrase (the white sections in the examples) is placed outside the clause (i.e. the beginning or the end of the sentence). Their purpose is to add extra information to the clause; like the speaker's feeling (unfortunately), location (in Australia), time (at 9 o'clock) and participants (with their friends). The possibilities are endless. There are certain patterns with where the types of information are located. In general, the speaker's feeling usually comes first. Location and time can be at the beginning or end. Participants are usually at the end. Again, these are tendencies, and when it comes to adverbs and prepositional phrases (these add or modify meaning), there are no hard and fast rules.
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