Basic Sentence Patterns in
English: Rules and Structures
Table of Contents
1. The Basic Elements of a Sentence
2. The 5 Basic Sentence Patterns in English
1. 1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S - LV - C)
2. 2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S - IV )
3. 3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S - TV - DO )
4. 4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct
Object ( S - TV - IO - DO )
5. 5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object
Complement ( S - TV - DO - OC)
3. Basic Sentence Patterns in English: Important notes to learn
1. You may enjoy these articles
The Basic Elements of a Sentence
A sentence has two basic elements: the subject and the predicate. The subject
is always a noun, a pronoun, or a group of words acting as a noun. It is what the
entire sentence is about. Meanwhile, the predicate contains a verb that
describes the subject. Take note, verbs do not always have to be action verbs.
Lastly, subjects and predicates can be either simple or compound.
A sentence is a group of words that usually contain a subject (S) and a verb (V)
and expresses a complete idea.
The subject is a noun, noun phrases, or pronoun that usually comes before the
main verb. It also represents the person or thing that acts as the verb, or about
which something is stated.
Verb, on the other hand, is a word or group of words that describes an action
or state.
A transitive verb has an object.
An intransitive verb does not have an object.
In the following examples, the subjects are in bold, while the predicates are
italicized:
Grandma is awake.
He makes cakes and cookies.
Aside from the subject and predicate, sentences also contain objects. We have
two kinds of objects in English grammar: Direct and Indirect object.
A Direct Object refers to the person or thing affected by the action of the verb.
(He bought a ball.)
An Indirect Object usually refers to the person who ‘benefits’ from the action
of the verb. (He bought her a ball.)
Additionally, we have the complement. A complement tells us something about
the nature of the Subject or Object. There are two types of complements:
Subject Complement and Object Complement.
Subject Complement = She is happy. S=C
Object Complement = He made her happy. O=C
And lastly, we have the modifier. A modifier is a word or group of words that
modifies another word or group.
Now that we’re done with this recap, it is time to proceed to the lesson properly.
The 5 Basic Sentence Patterns in
English
You might have not noticed this one, but English sentences may present
themselves in varying patterns. These patterns refer to the arrangements of the
elements of a sentence. It starts from the most basic, to the most complex. As
mentioned, there are five basic sentence patterns in English. Among them are:
1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S – LV – C)
2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S – IV )
3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S – TV – DO )
4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct
Object ( S – TV – IO – DO )
5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object
Complement ( S – TV – DO – OC)
1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S - LV -
C)
The first basic sentence pattern in English we have the S–LV–C. This includes a
subject, a linking verb, and a complement. Linking verbs are the types of verbs
that join the subject with an adjective or another noun. Some commonly used
linking verbs include be, am, are, is, was, were, and seem.
Apart from linking verbs, we can also use sense verbs to make this type of
sentence pattern. A sense verb is a verb that describes one of the five senses:
sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.
On the other hand, a subjective complement is a word or a group of words that
often follow a linking/sense verb. Subjective complements can either be nouns,
pronouns, or adjectives.
Consider the order of the subject, linking/sense verb, and complements
in the following sentences:
1. She looks happy.
S: She
LV: looks
C: happy
2. Orange and Yellow are bright colors.
S: Orange and Yellow
LV: are
C: bright colors
3. The food tastes bad.
S: The food
LV: tastes
C: bad
2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S - IV )
When learning the basic sentence patterns, the S–IV pattern is the simplest
sentence type. It includes just a subject and an intransitive verb. Grammatically,
intransitive verbs do not need a direct object. Unlike transitive verbs, verbs
belonging to this type don’t answer the question “what?”. In most cases,
dynamic and locomotive verbs (or verbs that express movement) belong to this
sentence pattern.
Also, this pattern uses verbs that are in the base form and doesn’t need
supporting information. This means that the thought of the sentence was
already completed by the action of the verb.
Below are sample sentences with the S-IV sentence pattern.
1. She swims.
2. The book fell.
3. Peter marches.
4. Peter sneezed.
5. Evil exists.
3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S -
TV - DO )
This time let’s move on to the third basic sentence patterns in English we all are
familiar with: the S–TV–DO pattern. This pattern includes a subject, a transitive
verb, and a direct object. Here, we use transitive verbs, which means that we
need a direct object. The trick here is to make sure our verb answers the
question “what?”
Moreover, this pattern uses a verb that is in the =s form, most especially the
stative verbs. The S-TV-DO pattern, unlike the S-IV pattern, needs supporting
information, especially the object pointed about in the sentence (noun).
In the sample sentences we have below, the subject, transitive verb,
and direct object are placed in a fixed order.
1. They are baking cookies and cakes.
S: they
TV: are baking
DO: cookies and cakes
2. The batter hit the ball.
S: The batter
TV: hit
DO: the ball
3. She teaches English.
S: She
TV: teaches
DO: English
4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object +
Direct Object ( S - TV - IO - DO )
Next in the list of basic sentence patterns is the S–TV–IO–DO sentence. This type
includes a subject, a transitive verb, an indirect object, and a direct object. If
you have forgotten what indirect and direct objects are, CLICK here for a
refresher.
In the sentences below, you’ll notice that the subject, the transitive
verb, the indirect object, and the direct object are placed in the correct
order.
1. Mary lent Josh money.
S: Mary
TV: lent
IO: Josh
DO: money
2. Ana taught her the answer.
S: Ana
TV: taught
IO: her
DO: the answer
3. He gave him the money.
S: He
TV: gave
IO: him
DO: the money
Interestingly, there are instances where the Direct Objects come first before
Indirect Object in the sentences. And although some grammarians insist on its
correctness, some consider the pattern acceptable in English. So, instead of S–
TV–IO–DO, the pattern then becomes S–TV–DO-IO.
For example:
He gave him the money. (S–TV–IO-DO)
He gave the money to him. (S–TV–DO-IO)
5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object +
Object Complement ( S - TV - DO - OC)
The last basic sentence pattern we have in English is the S–TV–DO–OC sentence
type. This sentence pattern includes a subject, transitive verb, direct object, and
an objective complement. Unlike subjective complements, objective
complements describe a direct object.
The object complement in this sentence pattern refers to a specific description
of the direct object being done by the subject, with the use of the verb.
Generally, the OC in this pattern could be a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
Check out the examples we have below.
1. She called the boy attractive.
S: She
TV: called
DO: the boy
OC: attractive
2. They painted the house blue.
S: They
TV: painted
DO: the house
OC: blue
Basic Sentence Patterns in English:
Important notes to learn
As you move forward in learning English grammar, understanding the basic
sentence patterns in English is essential. Although there are over 10 sentence
patterns in English, the five basic sentence patterns that we discussed are the
most common. They are the following.
1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S – LV – C)
For example:
I am happy.
2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S – IV )
For example:
Horses run.
3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S – TV – DO )
For example:
Amy tutors Chris.
4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct
Object ( S – TV – IO – DO )
For example:
The instructor assigned Steve poetry.
5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object
Complement ( S – TV – DO – OC)
For example:
