Sentences

Basic sentence structure

When building sentences, there are three basic building building blocks you can use: a subject (S), a verb (V) and an object (O). These form the basic building blocks to form simple sentences. You can also use adjectives (A), adverbs (Adv) and nouns (N).

subject = the person or thing that does the action or that is described
verb = the word that expresses the action in the sentence
object = the person or thing that receives or undergoes the action of the verb

Take a look at the video to learn more about basic sentence structure in English.

Possible basic sentence combinations

1. subject + verb

Some sentences consist of a subject and a verb.

Examples

I work
She is reading.
The dog listens.

2. subject + verb + object

Some sentences consist of a subject, a verb and an object.

Examples

I like pancakes.
She is reading a book.
The dog sees a cat.

3. subject + verb + adjective

Some sentences consist of a subject, a verb and an adjective.

Examples

I am tired.
She is smart.
The dog is furry.

4. subject + verb + adverb

Some sentences consist of a subject, a verb and an adverb.

Examples

I am eating quickly.
She is reading in the garden.
The dog swam yesterday.

5. subject + verb + noun

Some sentences consist of a subject, a verb and a noun.

Examples

I am a doctor.
She is my sister.
The dog is an animal.

6. Other combinations

Some simple sentences are combinations of the basic sentence structures.

Examples subject + verb + object + adverb

I am eating pancakes in the garden.
She is reading a book quickly.
The dog listened well yesterday.

There are also complex sentences that consist of two simple sentences.

The dog is furry, and it runs quickly.
subject + verb + adjective (and) subject + verb + adverb
She is reading a book in the living room, but he is watching a film in the bedroom.
subject + verb + object + adverb (but) subject + verb + object + adverb