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Note: In the examples below, parts of the sentence are colour-coded: subjects in red, verbs in blue, direct objects
in brown, etc.
1.1 In a normal (declarative) sentence, the subject of a sentence comes directly in front of the verb. The direct
object (when there is one) comes directly after it:
Examples:
The man wrote a letter.
People who live in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones.
The president laughed.
1.2. Note that by the subject, we mean not just a single word, but the subject noun or pronoun plus adjectives
or descriptive phrases that go with it. The rest of the sentence - i.e. the part that is not the subject - is called the
predicate.
Examples:
People who live in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones.
I like playing football with my friends in the park.
The child who had been sleeping all day woke up.
1.3. If a sentence has any other parts to it - indirect objects, adverbs or adverb phrases - these usually come
in specific places:
1.3.1 The position of the indirect object
The indirect object follows the direct object when it is formed with the preposition to:
The indirect object comes in front of the direct object if to is omitted
Example:
The doctor gave some medicine to the child.
or: The doctor gave the child some medicine.
1.3.2. The position of adverbs or adverb phrases
These can come in three possible places:
a) Before the subject (Notably with common adverbs or adverb phrases)
Example:
Yesterday the man wrote a letter
b1) After the object (virtually any adverb or adverb phrase can be placed here)
Example:
The man wrote a letter on his computer in the train.
b2) or with intransitive verbs after the verb.
Example:
The child was sleeping on a chair in the kitchen.
c) In the middle of the verb group. (Notably with short common adverbs)
Example:
The man has already written his letter
1.3.3. Word order with "sentence adverbs"
Sentence adverbs (like perhaps, surely, naturally, also .... ) relate to a whole clause or sentence, not just a single
word. In most cases, they stand outside the clause they refer to, notably at the start of the clause. However, they
may be placed elsewhere in the clause for reasons of stress or emphasis.
Examples:
Surely the man has already written his letter.
Perhaps the man has already written his letter.
..., therefore the man had already written his letter.
The man has perhaps already written his letter
Naturally the man grew vegetables in his garden.
Contrast this with:
The man grew vegetables naturally in his garden.
which has a quite different meaning.
For more details, see sentence adverbs.
1.4 In standard English, nothing usually comes between the subject and the verb, or between the verb and the
object.
There are a few exceptions. The most important of these are adverbs of frequency and indirect objects without
to.
Example:
The man often wrote his mother a letter.
I sometimes give my dog a bone.
If you always apply these few simple rules, you will not make too many word order mistakes in English. The
examples above are deliberately simple - but the rules can be applied even to complex sentences, with subordinate
and coordinated clauses.
Example:
The director, [who often told his staff (to work harder,] never left the office before he had checked his email.]
2 Exceptions
Of course, there are exceptions to many rules, and writers and speakers sometimes use different or unusual word
order for special effects. But if we concentrate on the exceptions, we may forget the main principles, and the
question of word order may start to seem very complex!
So here are just a few examples: you should realise that they exist, but not try to use them unless either they are
essential in the context, or else you have fully mastered normal word order patterns. (Don't try to run before you
can walk!)
A few examples:
Never before had I seen such a magnificent exhibition.
(After never or never before, subject and verb can be - and usually are - inverted. Do not invert when never
follows the subject !).
Hardly had I left the house, than it started to rain.
(When a sentence starts with hardly, subject and verb must be inverted.).
Examples
Where did Jane Austen live?
Did Arnold Schwarzenegger learn English quickly?
How quickly did Arnold Schwarzenegger learn English ?
Has the bank sent us an invoice yet?
How many books have you read this year ?
Is the new secretary being given her own laptop ?
Can the new secretary be given her own laptop ?
How quickly can the new secretary be given her own laptop ?
Is the new secretary nice ?
Comparison between statements and questions with single-word tenses :
He had a good time. > Did he have a good time?
NOT Had he a good time?
He lives in new York. > Does he live in new York?
NOT Lives he in New York?
Exceptions:
Certain adverbs, notably short adverbs of frequency or time, can and indeed sometimes must be placed between
the auxiliary and the root verb, as in statements. In questions, these adverbs are placed between the subject and
the root verb.
Relative pronouns can cause trouble in English, specially when they are in unusual forms, such as whom or
whose. And theres another problem: when to use which and when to use that? Here are some clear guidelines
to help you.
The relative pronoun as subject
The relative pronoun as object
The relative pronoun as a possessive
Relative clauses starting with a preposition
More complex structures
Defining and non-defining relatives, and punctuation.
Relative clauses which qualify a whole sentence, not just a noun.
(Extra information for French-speakers)
Examples
The book thats on the table is mine.
The book which is on the table is mine.
1.3. IMPORTANT:
Omission: As subject of a clause, the relative pronoun can never be omitted. However, the relative clause can be
completely omitted:
Examples
The book is on the table is mine is quite impossible, but
The book on the table is mine is perfectly acceptable.
Examples
The man with whom I was talking was angry.
The chair on which I sat down collapsed.
5. More complex structures:
Examples
5.1 Preposition + possession:
The player on whose skills the match most depended, was the goalkeeper.
5.2. Selective possession
The caf, most of whose customers had deserted it, had to close.
The writer, the first of whose books had been a bestseller, was a coal miner.
Introduction :
Phrasal verbs
Prepositional verbs
Phrasal-prepositional verbs
Students of English frequently have difficulty understanding how to use verb+preposition combinations in
English. And this is not surprising. Though the general rules are actually quite simple (like most rules of
language), it is sometimes difficult to see the relation between a verb and the preposition that follows it. Two
principal but very different situations (or deep structures) exist, and unfortunately they (i.e. their surface
structures) can appear to be identical.
Compare the following pairs:
(Passive )
Impossible.
Impossible
In the examples on the green lines, the preposition is an integral part of the verb, defining its meaning: these
verbs are called phrasal verbs. They are in effect two-word verbs.
In the examples on the blue lines, the preposition affects the meaning of the verb, but is not part of the verb; it
belongs to the adverb phrase following the verb; verbs that are used in this way are called prepositional verbs.
These differences are by no means always easy to understand, particularly in the examples above which show
that some verbs can even be either phrasal or prepositional, depending on the circumstances! However, with the
vast majority of verbs, there is no choice. The verb is either a phrasal verb or a prepositional verb. Here are some
guidelines to help you understand the differences between the two groups, and their usage..
Using nouns
(Passive )
He broke it up immediately.
They set it off as they entered The alarm was set off as the robbers
the bank
entered the bank.
Once the Queen had taken her place, the guests all sat quietly down.
The alarm went off just as the bank was shutting.
2. Prepositional verbs
Prepositional verbs are transitive: they require an object. This object is generally stated, but sometimes just
implied or inferred.
Most prepositional verbs consist or an intransitive root verb + a particle.
Some prepositional verbs are formed using a transitive verb and a particle.
Often, the particle transforms an intransitive verb into a transitive verb:
Examples : look / look at / look for - wait / wait for - come / come through.
The particle is not really part of the verb, but an essential link between the verb and its stated or implied object.
These verbs are usually inseparable, meaning that the verb and particle generally stand together.
However short adverbs or adverb phrases can come between the verb and the particle in transitive statements,
particularly when the object is a noun.
If in doubt, do not place the adverb between the verb and the particle.
Using nouns
Passive
Improbable
Improbable
Using nouns
(Passive )
Everyone looked forward to the event. Everyone looked forward to it. It was looked forward to by everyone.
The prisoners broke out of their cells. They broke out of them.
The airline did away with them Tickets were done away with.
Maria works.
Tom writes stories.
He talked to Anna yesterday.
My son bought three history books.
Tom writes short stories for children.
Questions (Interrogative sentences)
General questions
Auxiliary verb + subject + main verb (+ object + adverbial modifier):
Do you smoke?
Does he speak English?
Is he writing a report now?
Have you seen this film?
Special questions
Question word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb (+ object + adverbial modifier):
Where does he live?
What are you writing now?
When did they visit Mexico?
Alternative questions
Alternative questions have the same word order as general questions.
Does he live in Paris or Rome?
Are you writing a report or a letter?
Tag questions
Tag questions consist of two parts. The first part has the same word order as statements, and the second part is a
short general question (the tag).
He lives here, doesn't he?
They haven't seen this film, have they?
Commands (Imperative sentences)
Commands have the same word order as statements, but the subject (you) is usually omitted.
Go to your room.
Listen to the story.
Exclamatory sentences
Exclamatory sentences have the same word order as statements (i.e., the subject is before the predicate).
She is a great singer!
It is an excellent opportunity!
How well he knows history!
What a beautiful town this is!
How strange it is!
In some types of exclamatory sentences, the subject (it, this, that) and the linking verb are often omitted.
What a pity!
What a beautiful present!
What beautiful flowers!
How strange!
Simple, compound, and complex sentences
English sentences are also divided into simple sentences, compound sentences, and complex sentences.
A simple sentence, also called an independent clause, has a subject and a predicate and other necessary parts of
the sentence.
Life goes on.
She lives in Moscow.
He wrote a letter to the manager.
A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses connected by coordinating conjunctions (and, but,
or). Each clause has a subject and a predicate.
Maria lives in Moscow, and her friend Elizabeth lives in New York.
He wrote a letter to the manager, but the manager didn't answer.
A complex sentence consists of the main clause and the subordinate clause connected by subordinating
conjunctions (e.g., that, after, when, since, because, if, though). Each clause has a subject and a predicate.
Every
Saturday*
Subject
Verb
Object
Place
have
breakfast
in the kitchen.
They
play
handball
in the gym
My friend
is swimming
Peter
watches
Time
every Monday.
in the pool.
TV
at home.
tip
4a
He is always late.
He always is late.
4b
tip
Be careful!
detailed explanation
Position of adverbs
4a
4b
2) Questions
Questions with do
Questions with did
correct word order
tip
When did you see Peggy yesterday? When did you yesterday see Peggy? 6
tip
Be careful!
detailed explanation
4. ,
:
1. always, at nine o'clock, out of the garage, in the morning, gets, his car, he
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2. he, into town, after breakfast, often, Mrs Hodges, takes
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