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To write correctly in English it is necessary to know the basic parts of a sentence. These include the subject, which is the one who performs the action, the verb, which is the action that the subject performs, and the object, which is usually the one who receives said action.
How are sentences formed in English?
Sentences are grammatical structures that make up a sentence with complete meaning. In English they are called sentences or statements , and generally express an idea, a question, an order or a description.
Sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a period, exclamation point, or question mark. They also contain a subject and at least one verb, and can include objects, pronouns, and prepositions.
Also, sentences are made up of:
- Main clause : It is the main clause, also known as an “independent sentence”, since it does not need another sentence to make complete sense.
- Subordinate clause : subordinate or “dependent” clause. It must be attached to an independent sentence to complete its meaning.
Types of sentences
Depending on the number and type of clauses, as well as other elements, that a sentence contains, the following classification can be made:
- Simple sentences ( simple sentence s): are characterized by having a single subject and a single verb. For example: Johnny loves music. / “Johnny loves music.”
- Compound sentences ( compound sentences ): are two independent sentences that are joined by a subordinating conjunction. For example: Tim loves pizza but Tom likes hamburgers. / “Tim likes pizza but Tom likes hamburgers.”
- Complex sentences : ( complex sentences ): are sentences where there is a subordinate sentence connected to an independent sentence by means of a subordinating conjunction. For example: Because Tom likes hamburgers, they usually go to McDonald’s. / “Since Tom likes hamburgers, they often go to McDonalds.”
The subject
The subject ( subject ) is the person or element that performs the action. It can also be defined as the person or element about which something is stated.
The subject can be a noun or a personal pronoun. It can include a name, an object, a phrase, a place, and it can also be a personal pronoun such as: I/ « I «; you/ “you, you”; she/ “she” ; he/ «he», it/ «he, she, it» ; we / “we”; they / «they».
There are two types of subject:
- single subject:
- One word, such as: He went to the office. / “He went to the office” ; Louis lived in France . / “Louis lived in France.”
- From a keyword accompanied by other words: The little kids are laughing out loud . / “The little children are laughing out loud.”
- Compound subject: it is made up of two or more simple subjects, joined by conjunctions such as: but / “but”; and/ “and”; gold”.
To find out which is the subject of the sentence, it is enough to identify the verb and ask the following question: Who (does the action of the verb)? For example: Amy is driving her car / “Amy is driving her car.” If we ask ourselves “who is driving the car?”, we will obtain that the answer is “it is Amy”, since she is the person who is performing the action. Therefore the subject of this sentence is Amy.
Subject Examples
James drank his beer . / “James drank his beer.”
Seville is in Spain. / “Seville is in Spain”.
Dogs and cats are the best pets. / “Dogs and cats make the best pets.”
Emotions can be overwhelming sometimes. / “Emotions can be overwhelming at times.”
The best employee of the year will get a promotion . / “The best employee of the year will get a promotion.”
Jack and Susan are getting engaged next week. / “Jack and Susan are getting engaged next week.”
The verb
The verb ( verb ) indicates an action, a state, existence, or possession. It usually comes after the subject and is part of the predicate of the sentence. In English, infinitive verbs are preceded by the preposition to .
Another characteristic of verbs is that they are conjugated according to the subject and the tense. Depending on their conjugation, the verbs can be:
- Regular: they can be conjugated without changing their root and adding the suffix –ed . Some of the most common regular verbs are: ask / “to ask”; believe / “believe”; dance / “to dance”; explain / «explain».
- Irregular: in these cases, the verbs have different conjugations in the past tense and other tenses. The most common irregular verbs are: be / “to be, to be”; eat / “eat”; forget / “forget”; know / «to know».
Depending on their relationship with the subject, they can be:
- Transitive: they are those that need an object or complement. For example: He bought a new t-shirt . / “He bought a new shirt.”
- Intransitives: These verbs only require a subject. For example: This planet is dying. / “This planet is dying.”
In addition, there are auxiliary or complementary verbs, which accompany or help the main verb, such as do / “do”, be / “to be, be”. There are also modal verbs, which indicate a possibility, capacity or obligation, etc.: must / “must”; may / “could”; can / «power», will / «express desire or possibility».
Verbs can be identified in a sentence by answering the following question: what does/did the subject do? For example: Ray bought a new pair of sunglasses. / Ray bought some new sunglasses. If we ask the question: What did Ray do?, we will obtain as an answer that the action that Ray carried out is: buy, since he bought the glasses, therefore, the verb of the sentence is bought (buy )/ comprar .
Examples of verbs
- Would you like to eat? / “Would you like to eat?”
- She loves horror movies. / “She loves horror movies.”
- Robert took three lessons this semester. / “Roberto attended three lessons this semester.”
- We helped them to build their house . / “We help them build their house.”
- You should read a new book every week. / “You should read a new book every week.”
The object
Objects are the nouns that receive the action of the verb. They are usually used after the verb or a preposition.
The object can be:
- Direct: answer the question What (verb)? Whom? For whom? It is the person or thing that receives the action of a transitive verb. For example: I’m writing a message. / “I’m typing a message.” In this case, “a message” is the direct object because it is receiving the action. By asking the question: What am I writing?, we get the direct object as an answer: “a message.”
- Indirect: is the person or thing for which the action is performed. It usually comes before the direct object. For example: I’m writing her a message . / “I’m writing you a message.”
In addition, to complete the sentence as a direct or indirect object, objects can also be replaced by object pronouns , that is, “object pronouns”, such as: me / “me, a mí”; you / “to you, to you, to you”; him / “to him, it, I know”; her / “to her, her, se”; it / “it, se”; us / “to us, us”; them / “to them”.
The objects can be easily identified by answering the questions: What (verb)? to whom (verb)? where (verb)?
Examples of objects
- I gave him money . / “I gave him money.”
- I see you in the school . / “I see you at school”.
- She teaches us History . / “(She) teaches us History.”
- They knew it . / “They knew.”
- We play the guitar . / “(We play the guitar”.
Bibliography
- Vaughan, R.; Brown, R., Vallejo, C.; Martínez Freund, C. Learn English from Zero: English course for beginners. (2020). Spain. Vaughan.
- Welsch, D. Basic English: A practical introduction to thirty basic topics to start speaking now! (2013). Spain. CreateSpace.
- Sila English. Verbs in English: Everything you need to know about English verb forms. (2015). Spain. CreateSpace.
