The basic word order of an English sentence

In English the order of words is essential to

the meaning of a sentence.
We have to distinguish between the subject

group and the verb group (or predicate).

The predicate is what is said about the

subject, i.e. it is all the words in a sentence

(except the subject)
Subject Predicate

Active They drove him away in a police car.

Passive He was driven away in a police car.

 A change in word order brings with it a
fundamental change in meaning:
Subject group Verb group (predicate)
The dog bit the man.
The man bit the dog.
Study the following sentences. Why dont they
make sense?
The pipe is going to fix the plumber.
Has seen the documents the boss.
These biscuits dont like the dogs.
The phone in the middle of the night rang.
Carefully this suitcase you didnt pack.
 A sentence can take any of the four forms:
Statement The shops close at 7 tonight.
The train arrived fifteen minutes late.

Question Do the shops close at 7 tonight.

Have you seen todays papers?

Command Shut the door!

Dont spill the coffee.

Exclamation What a beautiful girl she is!

What a slow train this is!
 Although variations are possible, the basic word order
in a sentence that is not a question or a command is
usually
Subject Verb group Adverbials (optional)
group (Predicate)
Subject Verb Object Manner Place Time
I bought a scarf yesterday.
The kids went home.
We ate our meal in silence
The car stopped suddenly.
A lady with walked confidently into the
long blond room.
hair
Common variations on the basic word order
Questions
Did you see Bob at the party?
Reporting verbs in direct speech
Youve broken the window! cried Peter.
Certain conditional sentences
Should there be any problems, please do not
hesitate to contact me.
Time references requiring special emphasis
Last night we went to the cinema
-ly adverbs of manner/indefinite time
The whole building suddenly began to shake.
Suddenly, the whole building began to shake.
 Adverbs of indefinite frequency
We often played hide-and-seek when we were
children.
Adverb phrases
Inside the parcel there was a bomb.
Adverb particles and here, there
Back came the answer no!
Here comes the sun!
Negative adverbs
Never in my life have I seen anything like that.
Fronting
A fine mess youve made of this!
 A sentence is a complete unit of meaning.
When we speak, our sentences may be
unfinished, but we can still convey our
meaning through intonation, gesture, etc.
When we write, these devices are not
available, so sentences have to be carefully
structured and punctuated.
One-word or abbreviated utterances can also
be complete units of meaning, particularly in
speech or written dialogue, e.g. All right!
Good! Want any help?
However, these are NOT real sentences
because they do not contain a finite verb.
The simple sentence
The smallest sentence unit is the simple
sentence.
A simple sentence has one finite verb. It has a
subject and a predicate.
Made in Germany is correct English but it is not
a sentence because it doesnt have a subject.
My car was made in Germany is a complete
sentence with a subject and verb.
The subject may be hidden: Open the door =
You open the door.
 Put a beside real sentences.
1. To write an email.
2. Singing in the rain.
3. I want to write a letter.
4. Is tired.
5. Do you like?
6. Have done my work.
7. Have a book on the table.
8. You should listen.
9. Sit down please.
10. Dont interrupt.
11. Under the table.
12. Understood.
13. A glass of water.
14. The man coughed.
15. I want.
16. What happened?
17. He enjoys.
18. If I were you.
19. As soon as he gets home.
20. Despite the difficulties.
The simple sentence
The smallest sentence-unit is the simple
sentence.
A simple sentence normally has one finite

verb. It has a subject and a predicate:

Subject group Verb group

I ve eaten.

One of our keys is missing.

The old building opposite is being pulled down.

our school
Five simple sentence
patterns
1. Subject + verb
My head aches.
2. Subject + verb + complement
Peter is clever/a doctor.
3. Subject + verb + DO
I enjoyed the concert.
4. Subject + verb + IO + DO
The firm gave Jack a watch.
5. Subject + verb + object + complement
They made James redundant/chairman.
Sentence patterns: definitions of
key terms
A direct object (DO) refers to the person or
thing affected by the action of the verb.
Please dont annoy me.
Mimi threw the ball over the wall.
An indirect object (IO) usually refers to the
person who benefits from the action
expressed in the verb: someone you give
something to, or buy something for.
Throw me the ball.
Buy your mother a present.
 A complement follows the verb to be and
verbs related to be, such as seem, which
cannot be followed by an object.
A complement (e.g. adjective, noun, pronoun)

completes the sense of an utterance by

telling us something about the subject.
For example, the words following is tell us

something about Jane:

Jane is intelligent. Jane is an engineer.
A transitive verb is followed by an object.
Arsenal beat Liverpool. (NOT: Arsenal beat.)
This bottle contains alcohol.
I enjoy reading.
 An intransitive verb is not followed by an
object and can never be used in the passive.
They arrived at 10.
They arrived at the station at 10.
(NOT: They arrived the station at 10.)
Some verbs can be used transitively or
intransitively: e.g. begin, drop, hurt, open,
ring, win:
Arsenal won the match. (transitive)
Arsenal won. (intransitive)