Eight Main English Sentence Patterns
English is a language that is predominantly structured using several main sentence patterns. Understanding these sentence patterns is crucial to effectively communicating in English. In this article, we will discuss the eight main English sentence patterns and provide examples to help you better understand their usage.
Pattern 1: Subject-Verb (SV)
This is the simplest sentence pattern in the English language. It consists of a subject, which is the noun or pronoun that performs the action, and a verb, which is the action itself. For example:
The cat meows.
Pattern 2: Subject-Verb-Object (SVO)
This sentence pattern expands on the SV pattern by adding an object, which is the noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb. For example:
The cat chases the mouse.
Pattern 3: Subject-Verb-Complement (SVC)
This pattern involves a subject, a verb, and a complement, which provides additional information about the subject. The complement can be either an adjective or a noun. For example:
The cat is black.
Pattern 4: Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object (SVIDO)
This sentence pattern involves a subject, a verb, an indirect object, and a direct object. The indirect object is typically a person or thing that receives the direct object. For example:
My mother gave me a present.
Pattern 5: Subject-Verb-Direct Object-Object Complement (SVOC)
Similar to the SVO pattern, this sentence structure involves a subject, a verb, a direct object, and an object complement. The object complement provides additional information about the direct object. For example:
We elected John president.
Pattern 6: Subject-Verb-Adverbial (SVA)
This sentence pattern involves a subject, a verb, and an adverbial, which is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies the verb. For example:
The cat runs quickly.
Pattern 7: Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object-Object Complement (SVIDOC)
This sentence pattern involves a subject, a verb, an indirect object, a direct object, and an object complement. It is usually used to describe a state of being or a change in that state. For example:
My boss named me employee of the month.
Pattern 8: Subject-Verb-Double Object (SVOO)
Lastly, the SVOO pattern involves a subject, a verb, and two objects - a direct object and an indirect object. The indirect object receives the direct object. For example:
I bought my mother a gift.
Understanding these eight sentence patterns is crucial not only for effective communication in English but also for writing and understanding more complex sentence structures. Mastering these fundamentals is an essential step in becoming proficient in the English language.