English Sentence Structures

In the current paper you are going to see English sentence structures. First, please, have a look at the following key terms:

Abbreviations used: S=Subject, v_i = intransitive verb, v_t = transitive verb
DO = Direct Object, IO = Indirect Object.

:Key to verb patterns

English Sentence Structures 

PEU can help you more in this regard:

Object:

a noun phrase or pronoun that normally comes after the verb in an active clause. The direct object most often refers to a person or thing (or people or things) affected by the action of the verb. In the sentence Take the dog for a walk, the dog is the direct object. The indirect object usually refers to a person (or people) who receivers) the direct object. In the sentence Ann gave me a watch, the indirect object is me, and the direct object is a watch.

Clause:

a part of a sentence which contains a subject and a verb, usually joined to the rest of a sentence by a conjunction. Example: Mary said that she was
 tired. (The word clause is also sometimes used for structures containing participles or infinitives with no subject or conjunction. Example: Not knowing what to do, I telephoned Robin.)

Main clause, subordinate clause

Some sentences consist of a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses. A subordinate clause acts like a part of the main clause (e.g. like a subject, or an object, or an adverbial). Examples: Where she is doesn’t matter (the subordinate clause Where she is is the subject of the main clause); I told you that I didn’t care (the subordinate clause that I didn’t care is the direct object in the main clause); You’ll find friends wherever you go (the subordinate clause wherever you go acts like an adverb in the main clause: compare You’ll find friends anywhere).

co-ordinate:

clause one of two or more main or subordinate clauses of equal ‘value’ that are connected. Examples: Shall I come to your place or would you like to come to mine? It’s cooler today and there’s a bit at a wind; she said that it was late and that she was tired. See also main clause, subordinate clause.

Verb

a word like ask, wake, play, be, can, which can be used with a subject to form the basis of a clause. In clauses, verbs often consist of an auxiliary verb infinitive or participle (e.g. will go; has spoken). Most verbs refer to actions, events or states. See also auxiliary verb, modal auxiliary verb, verb phrase.

Transitive verb

a transitive verb is one that can have an object. Examples: eat a meal; drive (a car); give (a present)

Intransitive verb

an intransitive verb is one that cannot have an object or be used in the passive. Example: smile; fall; come; go.

Auxiliary verb

a verb like be, have, do which is used with another verb to make tenses, passive forms etc. Examples: She was writing;
See also modal auxiliary verb.

Link verb (or copular):

be, seem, feel and other verbs which link a subject to a complements that describes it. Example: My mother is in Jersey; He seems unhappy; This feels soft.

Main verb (or full verb)

A verb phrase often contains one or more auxiliary verbs together with a main verb. The main verb is the verb which expresses
the central meaning; auxiliary verbs mostly add grammatical information (for instance they may show that a verb is progressive, future, perfect or passive).
Examples: is going, will explain; has arrived; would have been forgotten.

Modal auxiliary verb

one of the verbs can, could, may, might, must, will, shall, would, should, ought.

Verb phrase

a verb that has more than one part. Example: would have been forgotten

English Sentence Structures