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Sentence Structure

The document explains sentence structure, defining it as the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences, which includes basic parts such as subject and predicate. It outlines the five main components of a sentence: subject, verb, object, complement, and adjunct, along with their specific roles and examples. Additionally, it describes various types of sentence patterns, including simple, compound, complex, and declarative sentences.

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9 views

Sentence Structure

The document explains sentence structure, defining it as the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences, which includes basic parts such as subject and predicate. It outlines the five main components of a sentence: subject, verb, object, complement, and adjunct, along with their specific roles and examples. Additionally, it describes various types of sentence patterns, including simple, compound, complex, and declarative sentences.

Uploaded by

lepap82909
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Sentence Structure

Sentence structure is a grammatical component that tells you exactly where and how each component
of a sentence should be placed in order to blend and make sense. The Collins Dictionary defines
sentence structure as “the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences.” In other words, the
sentence structure is what defines the way a sentence will look and sound.

Basic Parts and Components of a Sentence


Parts of a Sentence
A sentence, in the English language, consists of at least a subject and a predicate. In other words, a
sentence should have a subject and a verb.
Subject
The subject can be a noun or a pronoun that does the action.
For example:
 The sun is shining.
 The sky is clear.
 Today is Wednesday.
Predicate
The verb is the action performed by the particular subject in the sentence.
For example:
 I love macaroni and cheese.
 Merin has a pet.
 Anusha can draw.
Components of a Sentence
Like a sentence has two parts, it has five main components that make up the structure of a sentence,
and they are,
 Subject
 Verb
 Object
 Complement
 Adjunct
1. Subject
A noun that performs the action in a sentence is considered as the subject. It answers the question
„who‟ or in other words, a subject can be identified by asking the question „who‟.
For example:
 The child kept crying.
 Our school team won the match.
 My son is in the eighth grade.
 Hard work pays.
 No one came to the wedding.
2. Verb
In every sentence the most important word can be said to be the verb. A verb shows action or activity
or work done by the subject. Most often, verbs appear immediately after the subject.
For example:
 Neena is writing a letter.
 It was too dark.
 I feel tired.
 My phone is not working.
 Tarun‟s dog ran away.
3. Object
An object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action done by the subject. Objects are of two types
and they are,
 Direct Object
 Indirect Object
Direct Object
A noun or pronoun that receives the action directly is the direct object in the sentence. It answers the
question „what‟. Direct objects mostly appear immediately after the verb and are the primary objects in
the sentence.
For example:
 Harry bought a new car.
 My mom made a cake.
 I met my friend.
 She knows all the songs.
 We watched a movie.

Indirect Object
An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that is a secondary object. It can be identified by asking the
question „whom‟. When there is an indirect object in a sentence, it is mostly placed after the verb and
before the direct object.
For example:
 Vandhana gave Keerthana a cake.
 My mom bought me a new dress.
 I gave him a chocolate.
 They gave us coffee with breakfast.
 He lent his friend a pen.
4. Complement
The words required to complete the meaning of a sentence can be referred to as the complement of the
sentence. A complement can be an adjective, a name, a position or a profession.
For example:
 It grew dark.
 He is a dentist.
 That‟s her dog, Bruno.
Complements are further divided into two types based on which component it speaks about. The two
types of complement are,
 Subject Complement
 Object Complement
Subject Complement
The complement which expresses the quality or identity or condition of the subject is called Subject
Complement.
For example:
 She is a doctor.
 I am Sindhu.
 Nandhu is clever.
 The students are very excited.
 My brother is a teacher.
Object Complement
The complement which expresses the quality or identity or condition of an object is called Object
Complement.
For example:
 They made her angry.
 The students elected Sreya the class leader.
 They named their daughter, Thara.
 Marley met her friend, Ryan.
 Nobody found the movie interesting.
5. Adjunct
An adjunct is a word or a phrase that gives more information about an action, an event, a quality and
so on. Adjuncts can be identified by asking questions „when‟, „where‟, „why‟, „how‟, „how often‟ and „to
what extent‟. When using adjuncts, keep in mind that adjuncts can be used in the beginning, middle or
end of the sentence and that there can be more than one adjunct in a sentence.
Examples
 Yesterday, we met at the park.
 He is very tired.
 Due to his ill-health, he could not come home for Christmas.
 My father reads the newspaper every day.
 This workout routine is extremely exhausting.

Types of Sentence Pattern


Here are the main types of sentence patterns with brief descriptions:

1. Simple Sentence
o Contains a single independent clause.
o Example: She reads books.
2. Compound Sentence
o Contains two or more independent clauses joined by a conjunction or semicolon.
o Example: She reads books, and he watches movies.
3. Complex Sentence
o Contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
o Example: She reads books because she loves learning.
4. Compound-Complex Sentence
o Contains two or more independent clauses and at least one dependent clause.
o Example: She reads books because she loves learning, and he watches movies on
weekends.
5. Declarative Sentence
o States a fact or opinion and ends with a period.
o Example: The sky is blue.
6. Interrogative Sentence
o Asks a question and ends with a question mark.
o Example: Are you coming to the party?
7. Imperative Sentence
o Gives a command or request and ends with a period or an exclamation mark.
o Example: Please close the door. / Close the door!
8. Exclamatory Sentence
o Expresses strong emotion and ends with an exclamation mark.
o Example: What a beautiful day!

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