1.4: Parts of an English Sentences

Parts of an English Sentence

A basic English sentence has the following parts in the following order.  There is no punctuation in this sentence except for the final period because every part is in its standard/correct position.  When these parts are moved to different positions, commas are often necessary.

Subject Verb Object Place Time Adverbial Clause.

       The Subject of a sentence does the action of the sentence.  It usually comes first in the sentence.  The subject has to be some form of a noun: a noun, a pronoun, a gerund, an infinitive, or a noun clause.  Below are examples of each.

Nouns:  man, Seattle, book, ideas, water, dogs, my house, a car, cars, love, sadness

Subject Pronouns:  I, you, he, she, it, we you, and they

Gerunds:  going, eating, playing, smoking, typing, sleeping, trying, writing, driving

Infinitives:  to go, to eat, to play, to smoke, to type, to sleep, to try, to write, to drive

Noun Clauses:  that you are my students, which day I will be there, whom I love, what I need

All of these can function as the subject (as well as object)+ of an English sentence.

Examples:

The man ate his lunch.  My dog has a short tail.  Love can make you happy or sad.

I speak English.  She is a beautiful woman.  You need to learn English grammar.

Eating cake makes a person fat and happy.  Going to school is good for you.  Reading is fun.

To eat cake makes a person fat and happy.  To go to school is good for you.  To read is fun.

Who I am is your teacher.  Where I live is Seattle.  Whatever my wife cooks tastes delicious. 

That we live in the Seattle area is true.  That people steal makes most people angry.

       The Verb in a sentence usually comes right after the subject in an English sentence.  The verb usually tells the action in a sentence.  Some verbs are called non-action verbs.  They don’t show action, but they join the other parts of a sentence and explain ideas.  Verbs tell the action and the time (tense) of an action.  For example, eat tells a listener or reader the present time.  However, ate tells a listener or reader the past time.  Will eat tells the future time.  The verb sometimes also must agree in number with the subject.  For example, we say I go but he goes. 

All English verbs have five forms: the base form, the S form, the past form, the past participle form, and the present participle form.  For the verb to go the five forms are go, goes, went, gone, and going.  For the verb to play, the five forms are play, plays, played, played, and playing.

       The Object, like the subject, must use some form of a noun.  However, instead of subject pronouns, objects take Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, you, and them.

       Understanding the Place and the Time are never a problem for students.

       Adverbial Clauses have a subject and verb and may have an object, place, and time, but they do not make sense all by themselves.  They need a complete other sentence to have meaning.  The verb in the adverbial clause is not the verb of the sentence.  Note the examples below:

I always drink two cups of coffee after I get up in the morning.

My students always do homework when I assign some for them to do.

You are in this class because you want to learn English.

I came to class this morning although I was tired.

People get wet whenever it rains.

       All of the above sentences can begin with the adverbial clause without a difference in meaning.  However, when we begin a sentence with an adverbial clause, we need to use a comma after the clause.  Note the same sentences below:

After I get up in the morning, I always drink two cups of coffee.

When I assign some homework for my students to do, they always do it.

Because you want to learn English, you are in this class.

Although I was tired, I came to class this morning.

Whenever it rains, people get wet.