English word sentences making

How to write sentences in English correctly: rules and guidelines

как правильно составлять предложения на английском языке

 For success in mastering the English language, it is extremely important to understand its peculiarities of the arrangement of words and their sequence in sentences.

You probably think that this is very difficult and to master their device, you need to memorize a large number of poorly understood rules. Some theoretical knowledge is, of course, necessary, but everything can be explained in an accessible and easily understandable form.

We decided to present the topic of building English sentences as easily as possible and tried to make acquaintance with this material interesting. Let’s get started.

Classification of Sentence Members

First of all, it is necessary to understand what constituent parts a correctly constructed sentence consists of, that is, to clarify the question of which members of the sentence are necessary for writing or pronouncing it.

As you probably guess, any of the written or spoken sentences must carry a semantic load, and in order to convey it with maximum accuracy, the presence of the main and, providing additional information, non-main members is considered a necessary condition.

At a minimum, a sentence written in English should involve two main ones, represented by the subject and the predicate. These fundamental components cannot be dispensed with, so you need to consider them more closely.

Subjects

The subject is one of the most important components of the sentence, which, when answering questions such as «who?» and “what?” draws the main participant. This mission can be performed by pronouns or nouns, as well as proper names.

One of the most important features of English is that the location of a word within a sentence determines its functional features.

According to the rule, the subject is located earlier than the other main participant in the process, which bears the name of the predicate.

Predicate

Predictable is another main or main term that forms the foundation and is responsible for information about the action taking place. The questions answered are phrased as «what is doing?» or «what are they doing?» This responsibility is entrusted to the verbs.

Various constructions used to show grammatical tenses may require the addition of an auxiliary verb. A simple sentence can consist of a subject and a predicate, while the latter is necessarily located later than the first.

Other members will need to be involved to decorate the base with details.

Addition

An addendum is a non-main member of a sentence that answers questions in all cases except for the nominative. In sentences, they are located after the predicates. There is an additional division: additions that answer the questions «what?» and «whom?»

Definition

Definitions are words that appear immediately before the subjects or objects and, giving answers to such types of questions as «which?» or “whose?” reveal their qualities.

Circumstance

Circumstances may find a place for themselves at the beginning and at the end of sentences. Sometimes they can squeeze between the main members. They tell how, why, where or when the described action happened or is happening.

For clarity, we will illustrate everything using examples.

Examples of subjects expressed by nouns:

A snake — snakes;

A musician — musicians;

A building — buildings.

On the left are singular nouns, and on the right plurals.

It should be remembered that the presence of articles introduces some additional difficulties and there cannot be an indefinite article before plural nouns.

We have already mentioned that it is expressed by a verb and can be of two types:

  • Auxiliary. This part of speech is used to express time. And this is a very important point if you need to make sentences in English. The auxiliary verb itself does not have such a meaning and is not translated into Russian in any way. However, his presence is necessary if the temporary form requires it. 

Example:

Source: https://tutskill.ru/predlozhenie/kak-pravilno-sostavit-predlozheniya-na-anglijskom-yazyke-pravila-i-rekomendatsii

How to make sentences in English without mistakes?

как правильно составлять предложения на английском языке

The topic of sentence structures in English is key in the study of the entire grammar of this language. Without knowing this topic, you will not be able to learn others.

Therefore, if you have just started learning English, then you need to pay attention to writing sentences first. This is quite easy, because English sentences are in many ways similar to Russian ones, with the exception of some peculiarities, which will definitely be written about in this article.

Be patient, start studying, and you will definitely learn how to write English sentences.

What does an English sentence consist of?

As already mentioned, English sentences are very similar to Russian ones. Namely, its composition and members of the proposal.

The English sentence consists of:

  • The subject;
  • Predictable;
  • Minor members of the proposal:
  • Definitions;
  • Supplements;
  • Circumstances.

In this case, the word order in an English sentence is always straightforward, that is, first comes the subject, then the predicate, and only then the other members of the sentence (in Russian, the order can be any). It is worth paying special attention to this.

It is also worth noting that there is always a predicate in an English sentence. Even if this sentence is of the «I’m a student» type.

Subject matter

The first term in the sentence to be examined. The subject — in a sentence, is a person who performs an action himself (active voice) or over whom an action is performed (passive voice).

It can be expressed:

  • Noun;
  • Personal pronoun;
  • An indefinite pronoun.

Nouns will always appear at the beginning of a sentence (except for questions), be in the singular or plural, and have definite or indefinite articles (sometimes it may not be present).

Diagram:

Subject + predicate + complement.

examples:

  • I study at school with my best friends. — I go to school with my best friends.
  • my motherwill go to the shop tomorrow. — My mom will go to the store tomorrow.
  • My friend`sa cats to play with the toys. — My friend’s cat loves to play with toys.
  • Wedo not (don’t) do homework every day. — We don’t like doing homework every day.
  • A book was taken in our local university. — The book was borrowed from our local library.

Rules for constructing sentences in English

Each sentence in English has its own rules and construction features that must be learned. This will be quite an easy task, just like the rules themselves.

Affirmative sentences in English

The main form of English sentences, from which question and negation are already formed.

Unlike Russian in English, you can only use the direct word order and you cannot change it at will. There are twelve active forms of affirmative sentences and eight passive (all according to their tenses) that you need to know to build sentences correctly.

In order to correctly construct sentences in English, you need to know all the times, because there is no general formula as such, but it can be represented as follows:

The word that is the subject + predicate (the form of the verb to be according to the tense used and the semantic verb) + other members of the sentence.

Examples of declarative sentences:

  • I know what I should do. “I know what I should do.
  • Peter’s parents are divorced and he lives with his mother. — Peter’s parents are divorced, and he lives with his mother.
  • The book will be bought next week by my best friend Ben… “The book will be bought next week by my best friend Ben.

Source: https://eng911.ru/rules/grammar/sostavlenie-predlozhenij.html

Putting the word order in English sentences. In diagrams and examples

как правильно составлять предложения на английском языке

Greetings dear reader.

I am sure that if I ask you how the word order in a sentence in English differs from its Russian counterpart, you will not be able to tell me plainly. Well, maybe some of you. Therefore, today I will lay out all your knowledge on the shelves, tables and diagrams.

Let’s start!

What is the main difference

To make everything clear, as for children, let’s look at simple examples right away. This is where everyone starts, both adults in various courses and children in grade 2.

If in Russian we can do whatever we want with a proposal, then in English there will be difficulties with this. For example:

The cat climbed a tree.
A cat climbed up a tree.

But look what happens if we do something like this with the English version:

The cat broke the window. — The cat broke the window.
The window broke the cat. — The window broke the cat.

You see, the difference turns out to be significant and, to some extent, comical. And the reason is that in English the word order is firm, and oh, how involuntarily amenable to change!

How to write a sentence correctly

The standard word order of a simple sentence is as follows:

  1. The subject comes first.
  2. It is followed by the predicate.
  3. After that comes the addition.
  4. And, in the end, a circumstance.

Let’s take a look at some examples:

mother is a doctor. — Mom is a doctor.

Mother Is the subject; the one who performs the main action. It comes first.
Is Is a predicate. It always comes after the subject.
Doctor Is an add-on.

Let’s see some more examples.

I (subject predicate) coffee (addition) in the morning (circumstance). — I like coffee in the morning.

We (subject) do (predicate) the job (addition) well (circumstance). — We’re doing a good job.

We bought a beautiful car last week… “We bought a nice car last week.
I have a concert tomorrow night — Tomorrow evening I have a concert.

But what about the time indicators? — you ask. To which I answer: they can stand like at the beginningAnd in concert offers.

I (subject) drink (predicate) coffee (addition) in the morning (time indicator). — I drink coffee in the morning.

In the morning (time indicator) I (subject) go (predicate) jogging (addition). — In the morning I go for a run.

To help you remember this rule better, I have a table for you that will help you quickly refresh your knowledge at any time.

What to do with questions

For those who are already in grade 5, the most common mistake is the incorrect formation of questions. (Follow the link to learn more about everything)

The word order in the interrogative sentence depends on the type of sentence you are encountering. If the question is general, that is, it only requires the answer «yes» or «no», then the words will go in the following order:

  1. Auxiliary verb (e.g. Is, Are, Do, Did, Does, Was, Were, Has, Have, Will, etc.)
  2. Next comes the subject.
  3. It is followed by the main verb.
  4. Then all other parts of the sentence are used.

Is (auxiliary) John (subject) a student (addition)? — Is John a student?

Do (auxiliary) you (subject) drink (main verb) water (addition) in the morning (circumstance of time)? — Do you drink water in the morning?

What (auxiliary) he (subject) reading (main verb) to book (addition) last night (circumstance of time)? — Did he read the book last night?

But the language also has special questions that need full answers. The only difference in this case is that a question word appears before the auxiliary verb (what, when, who, whom, where, which, whose).

What (question word) Were (auxiliary) you (subject) doing (main verb) last evening (circumstance of time)? — What did you do last night?

Who did you call yesterday? — Who did you call yesterday?

When did you see her for the last time? — When was the last time you saw her?

To memorize the information much better, here is a diagram for you, which I hope will help you master the rule faster.

Well, my dears, the only thing left for me to tell you is practice, exercise and even more English. Only with constant practice and constant improvement of the language can you achieve good results. After all, we are still at the very beginning of the journey, which can become a starting point for you into the wonderful world of English speech.

To better understand the topic, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the English times, since in the rules you will find a lot of examples of sentences and questions. At the same time, you will understand how sentences are formed at different times.

I’m sure many of you would be interested to receive even more useful information and topics for taking the next steps. Therefore, I created a subscription to my blog mailing list, where I share the most relevant and useful information. Subscribe and improve day by day.

Source: https://lizasenglish.ru/grammatika/poryadok-slov-v-predlozheniyah.html

We make a proposal in English

Problems often arise when translating sentences from Russian into English. This is most often due to the difference between these languages, which is clearly manifested in the order of the words in the sentence.

Word order in an English sentence

The word order in an English sentence is not exactly the same as in Russian.
In Russian, the order of words is not fixed, plus you can easily omit the subject or predicate (that is, the one who performs the action or who is talking about, and the action itself). So, in the sentence «I am a student» there is absolutely no verb (predicate), and in the sentence «Sunny» there is neither a verb nor a noun.
In English, on the other hand, there should always be both subject and predicate.

How to write a sentence in English

Let’s translate the sentence «I am a teacher» into English literally: we get «I teacher». But we know that in an English sentence there must be a subject and a predicate. «I» is the subject, the one in question, everything is fine here, but the verb (predicate) in this sentence is just missing. Then we get «I am a teacher», where am is just the verb we need. That is, if you translate this sentence literally into Russian, you get “I am a teacher” or “I am a teacher”.

We will translate “You are a teacher” as “You are a teacher”, which literally means “You are a teacher”. Here, the word are acts as a verb.

Verb forms to be

In fact, “am” and “are” are forms of the same verb: “to be” [biː] bi (which translates as “to be, to be”), but in the present tense the forms of this verb are not at all like it.

Conjugation Table of the verb to be

Let’s look at the table, present everything in a two-column system. From «I» to be becomes «am» ([əm] uh). From «he / she / it» to «is» ([ɪz] from), and for «we / you / they» use the form «are» ([ɑː] a). Thus,

I am a student. I am a student.
Are you student. You are a student.
He is a student. He is a student.
She’s a student. She is a student. We are students. We are students.
You are students. You are students.
They are students. They are students.

It’s easy to remember these forms, because there are only three of them: with I — am, with he / she / it — is, for everything else — are. And don’t forget, these are not different verbs, they are forms of the same verb to be.

Making a sentence with nouns

With pronouns, the forms of the verb to be are memorized for simplicity, but there may be other words in their place. For example, «Mike is a student» we will translate as «Mike is a student», because Mike is he (he), and with he we use the is form.

By the same logic, we will translate «This boy is a student» as «This boy is a student». Another example: “Children at home” we will translate as “Children are at home”, because children (children) are they (they), and with them we use the form are.

We will translate “Mike and Monika are students” as “Mike and Monika are students”, because Mike and Monika together are also “they”.

Knowing this, you can easily make simple sentences in English. The main thing to remember is that if there is no verb in Russian, it should still be in English, and most likely it will be the verb to be.

Let’s make a sentence from words

We have come up with interactive exercises for making sentences using words try

Exercise to consolidate the material (interrogative sentences)

You need to make sentences from English words. Then you will find out its translation. Drag words with mouse or finger (on smartphones)

New York is a great city! The students in my class are really friendly The students in my class are really friendly. I am with my friend Pedro in this photo In this photo I am with my friend Pedro. He is a teacher at a language school He is a language school teacher. I write letters to my friends You live in a big house. She reads newspapers in the morning She reads newspapers in the morning. They are usually at home in the evening They are at work on Sundays They are at work on Sundays. My grandmother is very kind My grandmother is very kind. Tom and Lucy are afraid of dogs

Source: https://english-bp.ru/blog/verb-to-be.html

5 simple rules for word order in English

In order to build even the simplest sentence in English, you need to know the word order in the language. This seemingly simple but very important topic is the starting point for learning English grammar.

Subject + predicate + direct object

In an ordinary affirmative sentence, the subject is placed directly before the predicate (verb). The direct object, when present, comes immediately after the verb. For example:

  • They bought a car. — They bought a car.
  • We can’t do that. — We cannot do this.
  • The girl in a blue dress was playing the piano. — A girl in a blue dress played the piano.

Predicate

Note that by subject we mean here not only the main noun or pronoun, but also the adjectives or descriptive phrases that refer to it. The rest of the sentence, which is not related to the subject, is called the predicate. For example:

  • The girl in a blue dress was playing the piano.

Indirect additions and circumstances

If there are any other parts in the sentence — indirect additions or circumstances — they usually occupy a strictly defined place.

Indirect Complement Position

Indirect object is placed after direct object if it contains the preposition to.

Indirect object is placed before direct object when to is absent. For example:

  • The teacher gave dictionaries to the pupils. — The teacher handed out dictionaries to students.
  • The teacher gave them dictionaries. — The teacher gave them dictionaries.

Position of circumstance

A circumstance can be posed in three places:

Before the subject (usually these are the circumstances of the time)

  • In the morning he was reading a book. — In the morning he read a book.

After the addition (almost any adverb or adverbial phrase can be put here):

  • He was reading a book at the library. — He read a book in the library.

Between the auxiliary and the main verb (as a rule, these are short adverbs):

  • He has already read this book. — He has already read the book.

Non-standard word order in English

Typically, in Standard English, no other words are placed between subject and predicate, or between predicate and object. But there are a few exceptions. Here are the most important ones:

Frequency adverbs and indirect objects without the preposition to

  • I sometimes drink coffee in the morning. — I sometimes drink coffee in the morning.

Source: https://skyeng.ru/articles/5-prostyh-pravil-poryadka-slov-v-anglijskom

Enjoy learning English online with Puzzle English for free

The rules for constructing sentences in English are quite strict. Unlike the Russian language, there is a clear word order. If you know the basic construction of an English sentence, you can construct any phrase.

The members of the sentence in English, as in Russian, are divided into major and minor.

The main members of the sentence are those thanks to which the grammatical basis of the statement is formed. Without them, the proposal would not make sense. The main members are subject and predicate.

examples:

(Who?) They (what did they do?) Thought. — They thought.

Who?) The cat (what is it doing?) Is coming. — The cat is going.

(What?) The apple (what will it do?) Will fall. — The apple will fall.

How sentences are built in English. English sentence structure

Knowing how a sentence is constructed in English is a fundamental key to speaking correctly in English. Having well understood the principles of constructing English sentences of different types, you can easily operate with different times, ask questions correctly, and speak English faster.

Strict word order in English sentences

The construction of sentences in English requires clarification due to the dissimilarity of the syntax of English and Russian. For example, The boy was picking berries all day. can be translated in ten ways:

  1. The boy was picking berries all day
  2. The boy picked berries all day
  3. The boy picked berries all day
  4. The boy picked berries all day
  5. The boy picked berries all day
  6. The boy picked berries all day
  7. The boy picked berries all day
  8. The boy picked berries all day
  9. The boy picked berries all day
  10. The boy was picking berries all day

In English, this will be only one option, where the word order is strictly defined — the subject is followed by the predicate, then the object and the circumstance.

On the one hand, it seems that such a limitation is annoying, but practice shows: the less room for maneuver, the less probability of error.

In the end, it turns out to be easier to construct sentences of foreign speech according to a strictly defined scheme than to literally convey ornate Russian thoughts.

The outline of a typical affirmative English sentence looks like this:

Subject group Predicate group Additions Circumstances
the boy was picking berries all day

Exception for circumstance

There is one exception to the rule «subject, predicate, and then everything else» — this is a circumstance. In English, it can appear in sentences in four different positions:

Last night she left for Pekin — She left for Beijing last night.

Marcus seldom eats spinach — Marcus rarely eats spinach.

Grant has never been to Penza — Grant has never been to Penza.

Flora broke the agreement at once — Flora broke the agreement at once.

Building negative sentences in English

The word order in negative sentences in English differs from affirmative only in the NOT particle. The composition of the predicate in a negative sentence is «Auxiliary verb + NOT + main verb».

Belinda did not show her impatience — Belinda did not show her impatience.

General questions

General questions (requiring a “yes” or “no” answer) in English always start with an auxiliary verb. After it, the word order of the affirmative sentence is preserved.

Did the pupils stand still? — Did the students stand still?

Special Issues

Special questions are of a clarifying nature and begin with special “interrogative words”. After such a word, in a special question, we put an auxiliary verb, and then again return to the affirmative word order.

Why did the pupils stand still? — Why did the students stand still?

Stylistic inversion in English

The order of words in a sentence in English can change when a special stylistic device is used — inversion (reverse word order). It is mainly an artistic technique that serves to emotionally highlight an expression or thought.

And came empty days full of misery and despair. — And there came empty days, full of suffering and despair.

Training and control

Despite the fact that there is nothing complicated in the scheme of the English sentence, it is not so easy to introduce this very scheme into the Russian consciousness. We are used to being free with words. After all, thanks to the endings, the order of the words in the Russian sentence is not important.

When we learn to speak English, we automatically put English words in the place of Russians, often completely distorting the meaning of what we want to say.

To develop the automatism of the correct word order in a sentence in English, you need to build a thought over and over again according to the desired pattern. It is difficult to do this on your own.

The lessons of the Lim-English training site are designed so that the Russian and English versions of the sentences in them almost literally coincide. By completing tasks on the site, you will not only understand how a sentence is constructed in English, but also imperceptibly bring the skill of correct English speech to automatism.

By the way, you can also find a rather rare phenomenon of stylistic inversion in Lim-English in beautiful English fairy tales.

Source: https://crownenglishclub.ru/dlya-nachinayushhih/kak-stroyatsya-predlozheniya-v-anglijskom-yazyke-struktura-anglijskogo-predlozheniya.html

Sentences in English: word order and terms

Greetings to future connoisseurs of the English language! Friends, you’ve probably heard more than once about such a phenomenon in the English language as a fixed word order. And it represents a strict adherence to the position in the proposal of its members.

And then a problem arises — how much do you know about the members of a sentence in English? This is not to say that the grammatical concept of «member of a sentence» differs in many respects from that in Russian, but after making a brief overview, you will undoubtedly discover some useful information or simply refresh your memory of the grammatical material that you studied in school. Let’s get started!

There is a certain word order in an English sentence

English sentences: construction rules and members

The main difference between English declarative sentences and Russian ones is that in English you cannot arrange words as you please, and the sentence formula indicating the strict word order is as follows:

Subject + predicate + complement + circumstance of place + circumstance of time

Of course, this formula is not absolute. Some members may be absent in both English and Russian sentences, or, on the contrary, additional ones may appear, for example:

  • circumstances of the course of action
  • cause and effect and others

The priority of circumstances in proposals will be discussed a little later.

If in Russian there are sentences without a subject, then in English — the presence of a subject is mandatory

For example, the Russian version of the absence of a subject:

  • I see — the city has become so beautiful!

In the English version, the literal translation will be incorrect, here the pronoun «I» must be present:

  • I see the city has become so beautiful!

Let us now take a closer look at the important building blocks of sentences.

Subject and predicate are the grammatical basis of the sentence.

The Subject

Subject — a member of the sentence that names the subject in question

The subject in English answers the question:

The subject in English can be expressed:

  • noun
  • numerative
  • a pronoun
  • gerund (non-personal form of the verb)
  • infinitive

John is a pupil. — John (who?) Is a student.
The book was on the desk. — The book (what?) Was on the table.

The Predicate (Predictable)

The predicate denotes what is said about the subject, that is, what action it performs. Therefore, it is in close connection with the subject and is consistent with it.

The predicate in English answers the questions:

  • what does the subject do
  • what happens to the subject
  • who is the subject / object (subject)

Mary studies. — Mary is studying. (What is Mary doing?)
The letter was burned. — The letter was burned. (What happened to the letter?)
Ann is a housewife. — Anna is a housewife. (Who is Anna?)

This member of the sentence in English has many nuances, so let’s stop to consider them without putting it in a long box.

The predicate is of two types:

A simple predicate is expressed by a personal verb and can be in any of the tenses, inclinations and moods

He s this song. — He loves this song.

To avoid misunderstandings that may arise, it should be understood that a simple predicate can consist of several components, provided that they are constituents of the same verb form.

We are writing a test. — We are writing a test.
She had been writing a letter. — She wrote a letter.

The compound predicate is subdivided into two more types:

  • Composite verb predicate
  • The compound nominal predicate

Composite verb predicate forms its forms according to two schemes:

  1. Modal verb (can, ought to, may etc.) + infinitive
    • I can read English. — I can read in English
  2. Verb (expressing the beginning, continuation or end of an action) + infinitive / gerund
    • I began to study at the University of St. Nicolas. — I started studying at St. Nicholas University
    • It continued snowing. — The snow continued to fall
    • He has finished reading the story. — He finished reading the story

The compound nominal predicate is formed according to the following scheme:

Verb bunch to be (to be) in any of the tenses + a nominal part, which can be:

  • noun
  • pronoun
  • numeral
  • Communion
  • infinitive
  • adverb,
  • gerund
  • My dad is a pilot. — My father is a pilot (+ noun)
  • The wall is high. — High wall (+ adjective)
  • She is forty-two. — She is 42 years old (+ numeral)
  • The game is over. — Game over (+ adverb)
  • His heart is broken. — His heart is broken (+ participle)
  • His goal was traveling the world. — His goal was to travel the world (+ gerund)

The Object (Addition)

An addendum is a member of a sentence that denotes an object or person that is exposed to

Supplement in English answers a huge number of questions:

  • Whom — whom
  • what — what
  • to whom — to whom
  • by whom — by whom
  • about what — about what, etc.

It can be direct, indirect and prepositional.

A direct object names a person or an object to which the action, expressed by a transitive verb, goes directly. Questions answered:

I read an article. — I’m reading the article.

An indirect addition in English indicates the addressee or the person for whose sake the action is being performed. The indirect addition answers the questions:

  • to whom — to whom
  • for whom — for whom
  • to what — what

Source: https://englishfull.ru/grammatika/chleni-predlozheniya.html

Conditional sentences | English grammar | EF

Conditional clauses are used when we want to make an assumption about what might have happened, what would have happened, and what we would like to have happened. In English, most conditional sentences contain the word if. In many conditional sentences in English, the verb is in one of the past tenses.

This use refers to the «unreal past» because we are using the past tense, but we do not imply that something happened in the past. In English, there are five ways to form conditional types of sentences. Each of these types of clauses will always consist of an if clause and a main clause.

For many negative conditional clauses, there is an equivalent clause using «unless» instead of «if».

Type of conditional sentence Use of the verb tense in the clause (if clause) The tense of the verb in the main clause

Zero type Common truths Simple present Simple present
Type 1 conditional sentences Possible condition and likely outcome Simple present Simple future tense
Type 2 conditional sentences Hypothetical condition and possible outcome Simple past tense Present conditional or present extended conditional
Type 3 conditional sentences An unrealistic condition in the past and its possible result in the past Past perfect tense Conditional perfect tense
Mixed conditional clauses An unreal condition in the past and its possible result in the present Past perfect tense Conditional perfect tense

Zero condition type

Type zero conditionals are used when we talk about time now or always and the situation real and possible… Type zero is often used when talking about common knowledge. Both parts of this type of sentence will use the simple present. In type zero conditional clauses, the word «if» can be replaced by the word «when» without changing the meaning.

If clause Main clause

If + simple present simple present
If this thing happens that thing happens.
If you heat ice it melts.
If it rains the grass gets wet.

Learn more about how to use the null conditional type.

1st type of condition

Type 1 conditional sentences refer to present or future and express real situation… Type 1 refers to a possible condition and its possible outcome. In these clauses, the if clause is in the simple present tense, and the main clause is in the simple future tense.

If clause Main clause

If + simple present simple future tense
If this thing happens that thing will happen.

Source: https://www.ef.ru/angliyskie-resursy/angliyskaya-grammatika/uslovnye-predlozheniya/

Negative Sentences in English (NEGATIVE SENTENCES)

Negative sentences are sentences intended to communicate that a fact is contrary to the truth.

For example, the

the water isNote cold. — The water is not cold.

     Types of negative sentences.

There are several types of negative sentences:

1) negative statements

2) negative questions

3) negative imperatives

Negative statements are formed by the negative particle «not» (n’t), which is added after the auxiliary verb (do not / don’t), the linking verb «be» (is not / isn’t, are not / aren’t), and also after modal verbs (must not / mustn’t). It should be remembered that the negative form of the verb “will” is “won’t”, and the negative form of the verb “can” is “cannot” or “can’t”.

Examples of negative statements:

Agnia isn’tt coming round. she is not in town. — Agnia won’t come. She’s not in town.

Adrian mightNotebe telling a lie. “Perhaps Adrian isn’t lying.

Her children do not attend school on Saturdays. “Her kids don’t go to school on Saturdays.

When the Brosters arrived we hadnt decided whether to stay indoors or take a stroll. “When the Brosters arrived, we hadn’t decided yet whether to stay at home or take a walk.

you can notbe hungry again. You only had lunch an hour ago. — You can’t be hungry. You just had dinner an hour ago.

Negative questionsexpressing surprise, clarification, doubt, are formed using the negative part «not» (n’t), which is added to the auxiliary verb (don’t, doesn’t, didn’t, won’t, etc.). In the case of modal verbs and the linking verb «be», a negative particle is added to them.

Examples of negative questions:

Why didnt you ring us up? — Why didn’t you call us?

What doesnt he understand? — What does he not understand?

Wont we be able to come? — Can’t we come?

Isnt she your cousin? — Isn’t she your cousin?

Negative imperative sentencesexpressing a prohibition, order, advice, are formed using the verb «do», the particle «not» and the infinitive of the semantic verb:

Do not open the door to the room. — Don’t open the door to the room.

Do not take the umbrella. It’s warm and sunny today. — Don’t take your umbrella. It’s warm and sunny today.

     Other ways of expressing denial

To refute any information in a sentence, negative words, phrases can be used. In addition to the particle «not», negative sentences can include the following words: the pronoun «no», the adverb «never», the pronouns «none», «nobody», «nothing», «neither», conjunctions «neithernor», etc.

Nobody has called me today. — Nobody called me today.

we have never been to Lisbon. — We have never been to Lisbon.

noneof my co-workers live in the suburb. — None of my colleagues live in the suburbs.

Neither Abraham nor Nelly know this dialect. — Neither Abram nor Nelly know this dialect.

Also, to express negation in sentences, it is often used affixation (adding prefixes and suffixes). The following prefixes and suffixes are most common: de- / dis- / il- / im- / in- / ir- / mis- / non- / un — / — less /:

What are you saying now is very impolite. — What you are saying is very impolite.

They are nontoxic elements. — These are not toxic elements.

There was some myunderstanding between my relatives. — There was a misunderstanding between my relatives.

There are a lot of homeless people in this region. — There are many homeless people in this region.

I admire your endless patience. “I admire your endless patience.

To systematize the theoretical material on the topic, watch the following video tutorials:

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Source: https://lingua-airlines.ru/kb-article/otritsatelnye-predlozheniya-v-anglijskom-yazyke-negative-sentences/

Word order in an English sentence. Exercises for beginners

Order of words in a sentencecorresponding to the scheme,

called DIRECT. Read more about this: Word order in English sentences (for beginners)

Word order in an English sentence. Exercises

The exercises below contain sentences in simple tenses: Present Simple — real simple, Past Simple —  past simple and Future Simple — the future is simple. These times roughly correspond to the times in the Russian language. General schemes for constructing sentences in these times are shown in the table below.

Word order exercises for beginners

Exercise 1. Arrange the words in the correct order. 1. good, I, student, am, a.

2. famous, he, footballer, is a? *

3. Mary, very, looks, happy. 4. The dolls, very, are, pretty. 5. clever, she, girl, is, a.6. Bella, a, is, not, good, cat. 7. sings, well, he. 8. will, rain, it, soon.9. listened to, teacher, the, they.

10. English, have, they, Wednesday, on.

* In an interrogative English sentence, the word order CHANGES. Permutation (or INVERSION) is a characteristic feature of the English interrogative sentence at ANY TIME. Skip this for now or read more: How to ask a question in English.

* * *

Exercise 2. Arrange the words in the correct order. 1. Sunday, went, to the Zoo, we, on. 2. How, do, have, pets, they, many? 3. Not, I, will, see, friend, soon, my.4. he, what, do, will, weekends, at? 5. Uses, the, at, work, he, computer. 6. does, he, not, know, the girl. 7. English, they, not, do, study. 8. was, I, not, school, at, yesterday. 9. there, many, people, in, the, were, park.

10.at, cinema, the, were, they, week, last.

* * *

Exercise 3. Arrange the words in the correct order. 1. in, town, are, there, houses, a lot of. 2. go, yesterday, they, did, where? 3. country, usually, goes, with, Mary, to, who, the? 4. what, banana, color, is, a? 5. are, leaves, there, on, trees, the, no.6. there, is, a, dog, door, near, the.7. snow, it, winter, last, didn’t. 8. book, was, interesting, very, the.9. can, draw, well, they.

10.we, not, must, eat, on the bus.

* * *

Exercise 4. Translate sentences in Present Simple into English. Do not forget that the word order in the English sentence is DIRECT. 1. I go to work every day 2. I get up at 7 o’clock. 3. My brother reads in the evening. 4. I speak English well 5. I love candy! 6. My sister loves dogs. 7. Children play with the dog every day.

8. We usually arrive home at 2 o’clock.

ANSWERS

Answers are available only to users who have assisted the site.

Source: http://englishinn.ru/poryadok-slov-v-angliyskom-predlozhenii-uprazhneniya-dlya-nachinayushhih.html

Need to make a sentence from English words? It couldn’t be easier!

Need to make a sentence from English words? Let’s learn how to make it easy!

In order to compose a sentence from English words, it is not enough to have a good vocabulary — you also need to know the rules of construction.

The meaning does not change from the order of words in Russian, and only the semantic emphasis depends on which member of the sentence is put in the first place (what the speaker wants to emphasize is put in the first place).

 In the English language, which conveys grammatical relations using syntax, there is no such freedom in constructing a conversation — each member of the sentence has its own place. The fixed word order allows you to understand the meaning.

So, in the phrase «John loves Jane» it will be difficult to understand who loves whom, if you do not follow the rules for constructing sentences.

The construction of sentences in English requires a grammatical basis — subject and predicate. If in the Russian language it is possible to use nominative sentences (without a predicate), then in English in structures of this type there are necessarily linking verbs to have and to be:
This is a wonderful picture (the verb «is» is implied) — It is a wonderful picture.

Narrative speech

Speech constructions of this type communicate a fact in an affirmative or negative form. In them, the subject + predicate goes first:

The boy reads — the boy is reading.

The direct object is used after the verb, and in the presence of an unprejudged indirect object, it is placed after it.

The boy reads book. — The boy is reading a book.
He gave me a sad book. — He gave me a sad book.

Circumstances in English are put either at the beginning or at the end. Traditionally, the place of the circumstance is at the end of the sentence, when stating it is first separated by a comma.

In the evening, the boy reads the sad book. — In the evening, the boy reads a sad book.
The boy reads the sad book in the evening. — The boy reads a sad book in the evening.

.

Negative speech

Negation is created using the negative particle not, which is placed after the auxiliary or modal verb that is part of the predicate.

He has not read that book. — He has not read this book.

If there are two auxiliary verbs in the sentence, the particle not is placed after the first auxiliary verb. Denial can be expressed using the negative pronouns nobody, nothing, the adverbs nowhere, never, and the conjunction neither nor. Since only one negation is possible in an English sentence, the predicate in such cases is expressed by a verb in the affirmative form.

They went nowhere after dinner. “They didn’t go anywhere after dinner.

Word order in English can be direct and reverse (when the predicate or part of the predicate comes before the subject — for example, in questions like Is he a manager?).

Interrogative speech

In English, there are 5 types of interrogative sentences that differ in structure.

  1. A general yes / no question that uses reverse word order starts with modal or auxiliary verbs. Is the boy reading the text?
    Is the boy reading the text?
  2. A specific question used for additional information. The word order is reversed, with the question word What? — what? When? — when? Why? — why? Etc. What are you planning to read?
    What are you going to read?
  3. A dividing question, used to express doubt, surprise, or to obtain confirmation, in two parts. The first part of the question is a direct word construction (unchanged), and the second is an auxiliary verb and a pronoun meaning “isn’t it”, “isn’t it”. If the first part is a statement, then in the second part the particle not is placed after the interrogative or modal verb. If the first part is negative, not is not used in the second part. You read the book, don’t you?
    You’re reading a book, aren’t you?
  4. An alternative question, involving a choice between two options, can be asked to any member of the proposal. In such a question, the word or (or) is necessarily present: Are the children writing a dictation or reading a text?
    Do children write dictation or read text?
  5. The question to the subject, when the word order does not change, and What or Who is put in the first place (depending on the animate / inanimate of the noun): Who wants to answer the question?
    Who wants to answer the question?

Thanks to the knowledge of the principles of constructing English sentences, you can correctly express your thoughts and easily formulate a competent answer to a foreigner’s question.

Article recommended by an expert: Maria Solomatina

Source: https://1hello.ru/grammatika/predlozhenie-iz-anglijskix-slov.html

Suggestions in English about the weather

Details Karina Galchenko Category: PRE-INTERMEDIATE

: 11 November 2015

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: 4/5

How should they look suggestions in English about the weather? There are a huge number of words and phrases on the Internet to help learners of English, but the difficulties arise precisely with the construction of sentences.

Talking about the weather is no exception due to the different perceptions of the world by the British and Russian speakers. Where one word sounds in the native language, a whole sentence appears in the foreign language.

In this article we will try to figure out how to correctly say «cold», «windy» and the like in the target language.

Basis of the sentence in English about the weather

Any grammatically correct statement (suggestions in English about the weather are no exception) subject and action must be present. This is not necessary in native Russian and this is why confusion can occur. For example, the Russian short sentence “It’s cold outside” will look completely different in English — “It is cold in the street”.

In this case, it plays the role of a subject, is — actions, and then everything that we wanted to say about the weather is already attached. The literal translation of this sentence into English will look like this: «It’s cold outside.» You need to get used to this, since otherwise it will be difficult to grammatically correctly express your thought about natural phenomena in English.

Remember one thing: most weather sentences begin with it, followed by the verb to be at the appropriate tense.

Weather sentences in English. Examples of

Below are some more typical weather suggestions in English.

Russian variant weather suggestions in English
It’s snowing frequently in the winter. It often snow in winter.
Look! Rain on the street! look! It’s raining in the street!
Rainy weather. the weather is rainy.
It is windy and damp today. Itiswindy and wet today.
It was cloudy yesterday. It was cloudy yesterday.
I think it will be warmer tomorrow. I think itis going to be warmer tomorrow.
The temperature is 2 degrees below zero. The temperature is2 degrees below zero.
The temperature is 25 degrees above zero. The temperature is 25 degrees above zero.

It is important to understand that in a story about rain or snow in English there is no equivalent to the Russian phrases «it is snowing» or «it is raining». But there are two full verbs — rain (to rain) and snow (to snow). You just have to deliver them at the appropriate time. Also, adjectives are formed from these verbs — rainy (rainy) and snowy (snowy). With them, you can also build full-fledged proposals, starting with the IT + TO BE scheme (at the right time).

Words to help tell about the weather in English

Let’s move on to useful words that will help you even better. tell about the weather in English.

1) sunny, 2) clean (for example, about the sky); 3) gray, 4) foggy, 5) rainy, 6) icy, slippery; 7) calm,  8) stormy, stormy; 9) soft, 10) warm, 11) cool, fresh; 12) cold, 13) frosty, 14) windy (light breeze, breeze); 15) hot, 16) cloudy, 17) drizzling (rain), 18) important, damp; 19) snowy, 20) dry, 21) windy.

You are now ready to compose your own weather sentences in English. Why not start now? What is the weather today?

Source: http://fluenglish.com/stati/studentam-na-zametku/353-predlozheniya-na-anglijskom-pro-pogodu.html

Types of utterances in English

Like Russian, English has three main types of utterances: conviction, negation и question… Each of these types, of course, has different subtypes.

Since, unlike Russian, in English the word order is fixed, these types are easy to distinguish from each other, and most importantly, they are always built according to certain formulas.

If you figure out how to correctly build each of the types of utterance, then you will not experience difficulties in expressing your thoughts at any time in the English language.

Let’s consider each of the types of utterances.

1. Approval

The purpose of an assertion is to communicate that something is happening, that something exists, that someone is doing something.
In English, a statement always starts with subject (actor or object) answering the question «Who? What?».
It is always followed by predicate (action).

It can be a semantic verb denoting an action, but for some tenses and constructions, the predicate includes auxiliary (am / is / are for Present Continuous, have / has for Present Perfect, etc.), or modal verb (can, may, must, etc.). Without a verb, statements in English are almost never found. The predicate may not be translated into Russian, but it must be in the sentence.

The verb in the statement is followed by minor proposal membersthat answer questions «To whom? Whom? Where? When?»  etc.

Subject (who acts) Predictable (action) Minor members
(«When? Where? Whom? What?» Etc.)
I
Я
am to teacher.
teacher.
She
It
works
works
in an office.
in the office.
He
He
wake up
wakes up
at 7 o’clock.
seven in the morning.
They
They
phoned
called
their friends.
to my friends.
Tom
Tom
is reading
is reading
a book.
a book.
We
Мы
will go
let’s go to
to the cinema.
to the cinema.

2. Negation

The purpose of a negative sentence is to communicate that something is not true.  
The negation must contain a negative particle not, which cannot be inserted by itself, it can be inserted after the auxiliary verb.
In colloquial speech, the negative particle not forms an abbreviated form with an auxiliary verb. Examples of abbreviated forms are shown in the last column.

Subject (Who?) Auxiliary Negative particle Main verb Secondary members of the proposal Abbreviated form
I do Note go to school (don’t)
He does read books (doesn’t)
She is watching TV at the moment (isn’t)
We are playing Football (aren’t)
They did visit her friends (didn’t)
I will go to the cinema. (won’t)

In colloquial speech, an abbreviated form is used.

Sometimes a negative sentence is formed using a word with a negative meaning. As a rule, such words contain No.: nobody, nothing, and others.

The word never also makes a sentence negative without the help of the not particle, because in English a sentence can only contain one negative element.

In the case when the negation is formed by a negative word, there is no auxiliary verb in the sentence, and in its structure it resembles a statement.

Subject (who acts) Predictable (action) Minor members («When? Where? Whom? What?», Etc.)
Nobody
No one
works
does not work
on Sundays.
on Sundays.
Nothing
Nothing
Happened
Did not happen
yesterday.
yesterday.

3. Interrogative sentences

There are four main types of questions in English:

A. General question.
B. Alternative question.
C. Special question.
D. Separated question.

Unlike the Russian language (where it is enough to simply change the intonation to ask a question), in English it is necessary to change the word order (in general, alternative, special question), or add an additional part of the sentence (dividing question).

A. General question

The purpose of the general question: to get an answer Yes or no.
At the beginning of a general question is always verb, but not subject. It can be a verb to be (am, is, are), an auxiliary verb (do, does, did, have, etc.), a modal verb (can, must, may, etc.).
 

Are you a manager? — Are you the manager? Do you study English? — Do you study English? Does he live in Russia? — He lives in Russia? Can you dance? — Can you dance?

Did he go to the USA? — He went to the USA?

B. Alternative question (choice question)

The beginning of the alternative question is the same as the general one, but the question offers two options for the answer. The second option is introduced using the word OR (or):

Are you a manager or a waiter? — I am a manager. Are you a manager or a waiter? — I’m the manager. Does he live in Russia or Poland? — He lives in Russia. Does he live in Russia or Poland? — He lives in Russia. Do you study English or German? — I study English. Are you studying English or German? — I study English. Did he go to the USA or Canada? — He went to the USA. Did he go to the USA or Canada? — He went to the USA. Can you dance or sing? — I can dance.

Can you dance or sing? — I can dance.

The alternative question cannot be answered yes or no, you need to choose the appropriate option, perhaps both, or reject both.

C. Special issue

The special question is again based on the general question with an auxiliary verb in front of the subject. The difference is that when asking a special question, we want to know the details, so we put a question word before the auxiliary verb (What? Where? When? How many? Etc.).

What (language) do you study? — I study English. What language are you learning? — I study English. Where does he live? — He lives in Russia. Where does he live? — He lives in Russia. When did you meet him? — I met him yesterday. When did you meet him? — I met him yesterday. Where did he go? — He went to the USA. Where did he go? — He went to the USA. What can you do? — I can dance.

What can you do? — I can dance.

The answer to the ad hoc question is a statement that provides the information you need.

D. Separation issues

The purpose of such questions: to ask again, to confirm the available information, to be convinced of something.
They do not change the word order. At the heart of the statement or negation, to which an additional part (tag) is added, which turns the sentence into a question. Any affirmation or denial can be transformed into a dividing question.

Tag is usually translated «Is not it?»  or «Truth?»… The tricky part is that the tag changes depending on the main body. If the basis conviction — tag is negative if based on negation — tag is positive. The tag usually contains an auxiliary verb (in the appropriate tense) and a subject.

Source: https://enginform.com/article/tipy-viskazyvaniy

easy-english-sentences

By
Last updated:

April 13, 2022

How to Make Your Own English Sentences with These 18 Easy Forms

By learning some easy English sentences, you are setting yourself up for understanding all English conversation.

Even the most complicated sentences start with a simple structure.

Learn these basic sentence structures, and you will be learning a valuable lesson—no matter what your level of English is.

Contents

  • Understanding Parts of Speech
  • How to Break Sentences into Sections
  • Learning More About Sentence Structure
  • 18 Quick Ways to Build Easy English Sentences, with 65+ Examples
    • Making Statements About the Present
      • 1. Describing something or someone.
      • 2. Stating the location of something or someone.
      • 3. Explaining what someone is doing.
      • 4. Stating what someone does for a living or a hobby.
      • 5. Expressing feelings.
      • 6. Making a suggestion.
    • Making Statements About the Past
      • 7. Describing something or someone in the past.
      • 8. Stating the location of something or someone in the past.
      • 9. Explaining what someone did, or used to do in the past.
    • Making Statements About the Future
      • 10. Stating what someone will do in the future.
      • 11. Stating when something will happen.
    • Making Negative Statements
      • 12. Stating what someone is not, or not doing.
      • 13. Stating what someone did not do.
      • 14. Stating what someone will not do in the future.
    • Asking Questions
      • 15. Asking where someone is.
      • 16. Asking what someone is doing.
      • 17. Asking about when something will happen.
      • 18. Asking who is doing something.


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can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Understanding Parts of Speech

To understand easy English sentences, you need to break them down into even smaller parts.

Sentences are made up of words. More specifically, they are made up of parts of speech. A part of speech defines what a word does in a sentence.

The parts of speech are:

  • Noun: A person, place or thing. Examples: Cat, table, king.
  • Pronoun: A word used in place of a noun. Examples: He, she, they.
  • Verb: An action word. Examples: Swim, is, write.
  • Adjective: A word that modifies (changes) or describes a noun or another adjective. Examples: Beautiful, white, shiny.
  • Adverb: A word that modifies or describes a verb. (It shows how something is done.) Examples: Quickly, carefully, brightly.
  • Preposition: A word that describes the relationship to a noun. Examples: From, under, until.
  • Conjunction: A connecting word. Examples: And, but, although.

If you don’t already know these parts of speech, read that list a few times. These terms will be important later in this post, in your English studies and in whichever English situations you find yourself in, whether with friends, at school or at work!

How to Break Sentences into Sections

So now you have the words you need to form your sentence, and you know what parts of speech they are. Now you need to learn how to combine them. A sentence has a subject (the person, place or thing that the sentence is about) and an action (what the subject is doing). Together, they express a complete thought. Even the shortest complete sentence in the English language follows this rule:

“I am.” (“I” is the subject, “am” is the action!)

Here is another simple sentence:

“I ate.”

Once you have your subject and action, you can start to add more detail. You can add an object (whoever or whatever the action is being done to):

“I ate a hamburger.”

Or you can add a description:

“I ate a delicious hamburger.”

Sometimes you can even add more subjects and actions:

“I ate a delicious hamburger, but my friend only ate some fries.”

When you are trying to understand a sentence, you can use the above knowledge to break it into smaller pieces. You can also use this information to create the most basic sentences.

Learning More About Sentence Structure

In this article, we are only giving you a basic glance of the many different sentence structures in the English language, perfect for anyone learning English for beginners. To learn more about sentence structure, visit one (or all) of these fantastic resources:

  • This page has some useful advice for writing excellent sentences, with plenty of examples. The BBC also has a helpful video about English sentence structure.
  • Click on any of the sentence structures in this article for a more detailed explanation.
  • If you are a visual learner, Grammar Revolution provides a visual guide to different types of sentence structure.
  • Tired of all the reading? Watch an English video instead! You’ll hear how native speakers build sentences naturally. FluentU is the perfect tool for this.

Okay, now you are ready to move on to building sentences!

Before you begin, there are two things you should know about this guide:

1. Whenever we use [noun], you can replace it with a [pronoun]. For example, you can say “Sam is tired,” or you can say “He is tired.” Both are correct.

2. Whenever we use “is,” you will need to replace it with the correct form of “to be.” Choose the right form based on this list for the present tense:

  • I am.
  • He / she / it is.
  • You / they / we are.

And this list for the past tense:

  • I / he / she / it was.
  • You / they / we were.

That’s all! Now you are ready to begin.

Making Statements About the Present

1. Describing something or someone.

Form: [Noun] is [adjective].

Notes: If the noun you are using is not a pronoun, the name of a place or the name of a person, add the word “the” (or “this,” or “that”) before it.

Examples:

  • The flower is red.
  • You are wonderful.
  • The Empire State Building is tall.

2. Stating the location of something or someone.

Form: [Noun] is [preposition] [location].

Notes: To state the location of something or someone, a preposition is usually necessary. Choose the correct preposition to give the right information. You can also say someone was “here” or “over there.” Since these terms are relative (their meaning depends on your own location), you do not need to add the final “location.”

Once again, nouns that are not names of people or places get “the” added before them.

Examples:

  • The cat is under the bed.
  • Charlie is next to Anne.
  • He is on the train.
  • The dog is here.
  • The men are over there.

3. Explaining what someone is doing.

Form: [Noun] is [verb -ing].

Notes: The “-ing” form of a verb means an action is taking place right now. Use this form when talking about an action that has not ended yet.

Examples:

  • He is reading.
  • The cat is napping.
  • Kate is singing.

4. Stating what someone does for a living or a hobby.

Form: [Noun] [verb -s].

Notes: Using this structure implies the subject of your sentence does the action regularly (like a hobby, or a job), even if they are not necessarily doing it right now.

Examples:

  • He reads.
  • The cat naps.
  • Kate sings.

5. Expressing feelings.

Form: [Noun] [feeling verb -s] [noun]. / [Noun] [feeling verb -s] [to verb / verb -ing].

Notes: Feeling verbs are verbs like “love,” “like” or “hate.” You can love or hate an object, or an action. When you describe someone’s feelings about an action, you can use either the “to verb” or “verb -ing” forms. In most cases, both are correct! You can also use this form to describe needs and wants, but remember that in that case, the “verb -ing” form cannot be used. For example, you don’t “need sleeping.” You “need to sleep,” or just “need sleep.”

Examples:

  • I love sunshine.
  • The elephant likes painting.
  • Tom hates his job.
  • I need to eat.
  • I want food.
  • She wants to sleep.
  • She needs sleep.

6. Making a suggestion.

Form: Let’s [verb]. / Please [verb].

Notes: To suggest an action that you will also take part in, use the first structure. To politely ask someone to do something, use the second one.

Examples:

  • Let’s eat.
  • Please eat.
  • Please move. (Please note: This might be grammatically correct, but it is actually not very polite! The polite way to ask someone to move is to say “excuse me.”)

Making Statements About the Past

7. Describing something or someone in the past.

Form: [Noun] was [adjective].

Notes: You describe someone in the past tense almost the same exact way as in the present—just change the “is” to “was.” Using this structure suggests that either the description is no longer accurate, or that the description is for a specific moment.

Examples:

  • The flower was red. (…It is not red anymore.)
  • You were wonderful. (…You played the violin so well in the concert.)
  • The Empire State Building was tall. (…Until the giant apes tore it down.)

8. Stating the location of something or someone in the past.

Form: [Noun] was [preposition] [location].

Notes: As with a description, describing a location in the past and the present is very similar. The rules remain the same; only the verb tense changes. Remember, again, that using this form means the location has changed, or that the statement was only true for a specific time period in the past.

Examples:

  • The cat was under the bed. (…But then it ran away.)
  • Charlie was next to Anne. (…Then he went behind her.)
  • He was on the train. (…That is how he knew the train was going to be late.)
  • The dog was here. (…But then its owner took it away.)
  • The men were over there. (…Until they finished their job and went home.)

9. Explaining what someone did, or used to do in the past.

Form: [Noun] was [verb -ing]. / [Noun] [verb -ed].

Notes: There is a slight difference between the “verb -ed” form of an action, and the “was verb -ing” form. Using the “verb -ed” form describes something that has finished happening. Using the “-ing” form of a verb describes something that was happening during a specific period of time in the past.

Another form you can use is: [Noun] used [to verb]. This form is used for any kind of action that someone used to do in the past, but has since stopped doing.

All these forms can be used with feeling verbs, as well! Just add the “noun” or “verb -ing” after the feeling verb for a complete sentence.

Examples:

  • The cat napped. (…That’s why he is so happy now.)
  • Kate sang. (…The concert was wonderful.)
  • He was reading. (…That is why he did not hear the doorbell ring.)
  • The Statue of Liberty used to shine. (…But being in the salty water all those years has made it green.)
  • I used to love shrimp. (…But then I learned that I am allergic to it.)
  • Sally hated swimming. (…She had to do it every day in school.)

Making Statements About the Future

10. Stating what someone will do in the future.

Form: [Noun] is going to [verb]. / [Noun] will [verb].

Notes: The great thing about the future tense is that you don’t need to remember any verb forms! To turn a sentence into the future tense, just add the words “is going to” or “will” before the verb. Using this structure without any additional details means you will be doing the action very soon.

Examples:

  • I am going to dance.
  • We are going to eat.
  • The baby is going to sleep.

11. Stating when something will happen.

Form: [Noun] will [verb] [preposition] [time]. / [Noun] is going to [verb] [time adverb].

Notes: Use this structure to talk about things that will happen in the future. When you use a specific time, a preposition is needed. Use “at” when stating a clock time, and “on” when stating a day or date. Use “in” when stating a year, month or another time frame (like “a couple of years” or “two minutes”). When you use a time adverb like today, tomorrow or yesterday, you don’t need a preposition.

Examples:

  • The train will leave at 5:00 AM.
  • I will visit my parents in October.
  • Anthony is going to dance tomorrow.

Making Negative Statements

12. Stating what someone is not, or not doing.

Form: [Noun] is not [adjective / verb-ing].

Notes: Changing a sentence into a negative one is as easy as adding the word “not.”

Examples:

  • The flower is not red. (…It is white.)
  • You are not wonderful. (…That’s not very nice!)
  • The Empire State Building is not tall. (…We never said the sentence has to be true!)
  • Kate is not singing. (…Why did she stop?)

13. Stating what someone did not do.

Form: [Noun] did not [verb]. / [Noun] was not [verb -ing].

Notes: Remember the rules from before. Using the first form above puts the focus on the action (in this case, saying it did not happen at all). “Verb -ing” puts the focus on the time the action took place (saying it was not happening at a specific moment).

Examples:

  • I did not sleep. (…I stayed awake all night.)
  • I was not sleeping. (…While the teacher gave her lesson.)
  • The customer did not pay. (…At all. How terrible!)

14. Stating what someone will not do in the future.

Form: [Noun] is not going to [verb]. / [Noun] will not [verb].

Notes: Changing the future tense into a negative sentence is just as easy. Just add “not” before the verb.

Examples:

  • I am not going to eat. (…I will not eat green eggs and ham!)
  • Sam will not dance. (…He has ants in his pants.)
  • The cat will not nap. (…He is going to eat first.)

Asking Questions

15. Asking where someone is.

Form: Where is [noun]?

Notes: You can also use this form to ask about places, things and any other kind of noun you might be trying to find.

Examples:

  • Where is the dog?
  • Where is George?
  • Where is the bathroom?

16. Asking what someone is doing.

Form: What is [noun] doing?

Notes: The noun in this case should be a living thing. (Generally, non-living objects don’t do much!)

Examples:

  • What is that dog doing?
  • What is Sal doing?
  • What is the baby doing?

17. Asking about when something will happen.

Form: When will [noun] [verb]?

Notes: This is a useful sentence structure to know when you want to find out about events in the future.

Examples:

  • When will the train leave?
  • When will Fran visit?
  • When will your mom call?

18. Asking who is doing something.

Form: Who is [verb -ing]? / Who is [verb -ing] [noun]?

Notes: This structure is a bit different. It can be used to refer to the present, and to the near future tenses. Use it to find out who is doing a certain action (for example, if you hear a trumpet and want to know who is playing it). Or, you can use it to find out who will be doing an action in the near future—for example, if you are going on a trip and want to know who will drive the car.

If the action is being done to something, don’t forget to add that something in for a complete thought!

Examples:

  • Who is playing the trumpet?
  • Who is driving?
  • Who is cooking? (…It smells great!)

The easy sentences you learned above are just the beginning.

You have the first Legos in place.

Now go build a castle!


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English is a complicated language with so many rules that it can be difficult for beginners to know where to start. In this blog post, we will give you a few tips on how to make a sentence in English. By following these simple steps, you will be able to create correctly-formed sentences and improve your understanding of the language. So, let’s get started!

Making a sentences is very simple, you just have to followed this 5 steps guide to make a perfect sentences. Let us first discuss about some important terms:

What is a Sentences?

A sentence is a phrase which having a subject and predicate. It is also called as a complete thoughts. A sentence also has a full stop. To use a sentences it must have more than one words. Sentence is a group of words that have some sense or meaning.

It is not a difficult task to make a sentences. A sentence is the most important part of any compositions or writings. It shows that how well you can arrange your words and can express your thoughts. It is also the most important items in English Grammar.

Types of Sentences

There are three types of sentences:

a) Simple sentence:

It’s a sentence which contains one clause. It is also called as independent clause.

  • I like to watch TV.

It is a simple sentence because it has one subject(I) and predicate (like to watch TV).

b) Compound sentence:

A compound sentence is a sentences which contains two or more independent clause.

  • I like to watch TV and my favorite programs are comedy shows.

This is a compound sentences because it has more than one independent clause.

c) Complex Sentence:

At first a complex sentence seems as a compound sentence from outside, but from inside it has at least one dependent clause.

  • When I go home, I watch my favorite TV shows.

This is a complex sentence because it has one independent clause and one dependent clause “When I go home”

Structure of a Sentence

A sentence must have a subject and predicate. We can make a long sentences or short sentences as we like to express our feelings and thoughts. But according to English Composition, a sentence must have more than one word.

Subject?

Subject is the part of sentence which describes who or what about in the sentence. For example; “I”, “the dog”, “the cats”. A Subject is a word or a group of words that tells about who or what the sentence is about. The subject is one of the most important part in making a sentences.

Predicate?

Predicate is the part of sentence which tells about what has been done in the sentence. For example; “I am going”, “she is going”, “my dog run fast”. The predicate make a full sentence.

5 Steps to Make a Perfect Sentence

How to Make a Sentence in English for Beginners?

1) Convert Ideas into words:

The first step is to turn your idea into words. It is impossible to make a sentence without the right words so you must know what you want to say clearly inside your mind. Using an unknown or random word will reduce its effect and changing the feeling of the sentence so it would be meaningless.

2) Write down ideas with essential key words:

In this step, you have to write down the most essential key words. It is not necessary to use many words so if one word is enough for your sentence then it would be better. Also do not forget to use a brief and simple way of writing so it will be easy to read and understand by other people.

3) Create a comma to create two sentences:

After writing down the key words, you must use a comma so it will be easier for readers to understand the meaning of your sentence. A period is not recommend because it would impact your sentence in negative way. The purpose of using a comma is turn one sentence into two with different contents.

4) Place a command to complete your sentences:

In this step, you have to put a command from the key words that you have written. This is the last step but not least because it would create an effect on your sentence. A correct order of words and commands will lead your sentence into perfect one which is easy to read by other people.

5) Connecting parts of speech to complete your sentences:

The last step is to connect the key words and commands to form a sentence. It would be hard for readers if your sentences are not connected so it must be connected carefully. A right connecting words should be used, otherwise it would lead your sentence into wrong direction.

Now you know how to make a sentence in 5 steps, try it now!

How to Make a Sentence in English for Beginners?

Common FAQs!

What are Parts of a Sentences?

Parts of sentences are called sentence elements. There are eight parts of sentence which are found in every sentence. There are four parts of a sentence which are mandatory and four other parts that would be chosen as the writer like to choose them.

a) Four Mandatory Parts of a Sentences:

  1. Subject
  2. Predicate
  3. Command
  4. Object (optional)

b) Four Choices of Parts of a Sentences:

  1. Adverb
  2. Adjective
  3. Appositive
  4. Conjunction (optional)

Do verbs create sentences?

Yes, verbs can create sentences and it is one of the basic parts of speech to make a sentence. Verbs are used to show action so if you want to say “I walked” then you must use a verb “walked”.

Do prepositions create sentences?

Prepositions are not commonly used to create sentences but it can help to create one. Prepositions are used to show purpose, location and direction so it is a part of speech that you have to remember when making a sentence.

Do adjectives create sentences?

Adjectives are one of the most important parts of speech which can create sentences by itself. Adjectives are used to describe nouns, pronouns and other parts of speech. Without adjectives, your sentences would be meaningless.

Can a sentence have two verbs?

Yes, it is possible for a sentence to have two verbs. Using two verbs in one sentence will create different meaning so you should choose the right verb that can be separated into two sentences.

About Author

Simi

Meet Simeron Khan, an experienced ESL teacher with a passion for guiding students towards fluency in English. With a knack for making even the most complex grammar rules accessible and enjoyable, Simeron has helped countless learners achieve their language goals.

English grammar can often seem strange. We have so many rules for making sentences and almost as many exceptions to those rules. On a basic level, though, most English sentences follow a similar structure. Follow these five tips to make constructing English sentences easy.

Enjoy? Try downloading our eBooks! And find more tips on how to best present yourself on paper using perfect English grammar, alongside other useful examples.

  1. Get the words in the right order. The most common order for parts of a sentence is: subject, verb, object (if present).

Steve kicked the ball.

In this sentence, the subject is ‘Steve’, the verb is ‘kicked’ and the object is ‘the ball’. To help you remember this structure, try making an example with someone you know well as the subject and something they do often for the verb and object.

  1. Parts of speech aren’t always just one word. A subject, verb, or object is sometimes made up of several words so make sure you look at the structure of a whole sentence rather than just individual words if you want to get it right.

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People who practice a lot get higher scores.

In this sentence, the subject is ‘people who practice a lot’. We can call a subject made of several words a ‘subject phrase’ or ‘predicate’.

english grammar

  1. There are two types of object. Sometimes you will see sentences with two objects. If that’s the case, we split them into two types:

Direct – the object with which the subject has a direct connection.

Indirect – the object with a weaker connection to the subject.

I bought some flowers for my mother.

In this sentence, ‘flowers’ is a direct object and ‘my mother’ is an indirect object. The indirect has a preposition before it if we want to use it at the end of the

sentence.

I bought my mother some flowers.

In this sentence the direct and indirect objects are in a different order. When the direct comes last, we don’t need to use a preposition.

  1. Compound sentences follow the same structure but do it twice. A compound sentence is one made of two clauses (sections). In this case, the sentence uses a conjunction to join two halves of the sentence, each of which has the same structure.

I cooked dinner and my father bought some drinks.

Subject Verb Object + Subject Verb Object

  1. Learn the exceptions to the rules. There are some sentence structures, for example, the passive voice, that work slightly differently. Once you are comfortable with declarative sentences, take some time to explore other sentence structures as they will give you language more variety and are a fun challenge to learn.

So, now you have some tips on how to make English sentences easily, have a go yourself in the comments section below. If you know any exceptions to the rules, share them with the other readers.

Want to learn more? Visit our website to start learning English online today!

Article related: Regular and irregular verbs

Wil

Wil is a writer, teacher, learning technologist and keen language learner. He’s taught English in classrooms and online for nearly 10 years, trained teachers in using classroom and web technology, and written e-learning materials for several major websites. He speaks four languages and is currently looking for another one to start learning.

The rules of grammar are unlimited and it takes a good depth of time and effort to learn and understand them all. To start learning English, the first thing to start with is learning the grammar rules to make a proper sentence. You can go to the advanced level only if you have learned the art and grammar of sentence making. Let me help you with that. Let’s start by understanding all the basics related to sentence formation.

How to construct a sentence in English

First of all, you must understand what a sentence in the English language is? A sentence is:

  • A group of words.
  • It starts with a capital letter and ends in a full stop, exclamation mark, or question mark.
  • It contains at least two parts – subject and predicate.

Before giving the example of a sentence, let me explain what are subject and predicate.

Subject: A subject is a person or thing about which a sentence is ‘about’. For e.g. let us take the sentence — ‘I drink water.” In this sentence subject is ‘I’. Because this sentence is about ‘I’. In a sentence, a subject is very easy to identify. Actually, the subject is a noun phrase. It is followed by a verb most of the time.

Predicate: The part of the sentence which talks about the subject is the predicate. For e.g. in the sentence – ‘I drink water.’ ‘Drink water’ is the predicate, as it talks about the subject ‘I’.

So, ‘I drink water.’ is a complete sentence which has all the three properties of the subject defined above.

The next question is if we make any sentence keeping in mind all the three features of the sentence delineated above, is it a complete sentence? No, it is not so. Actually, the grammar of any subject is complicated. Just putting the words together in a proper order does not always make sense. It is necessary for a sentence to convey some sense. There are certain rules to be followed for putting the words in a proper sequence to make a sense. In order to understand the basics of sentence formation, we have to know the types of sentences and what it is used for.

TYPES OF SENTENCES ON THE BASIS OF ARRANGEMENT OF WORDS:

On the basis of how words are arranged in a sentence, there arise three types of sentences:

  • Simple Sentences
  • Compound Sentences
  • Complex Sentences

Let us understand, all of them one by one:

1. Simple Sentences:

As the type suggests, this sentence has the simplest of a structure with only one subject and predicate. It has one verb and a single subject, idea, thing or person about which it talks about. For e.g.

‘Mahika reads.’

It has only one subject i.e. Mahika and a single verb ‘reads’.

Note: There is a definite property of the simple sentence. In a simple sentence, even if you add some prepositional phrase, adverb or adjective, etc. it doesn’t change itself to a complex sentence. Moreover, it will not get altered even after its conjunction with many types of nouns or verbs. For e.g.

Stars twinkled and shined brightly. or

The cat with white fur always meows loudly.

Both of these are simple sentences only, as there are only one subject and one verb in both of these sentences.

2. Compound Sentences:

Compound sentences are formed by joining two simple sentences with some conjunction. I hope, that you already know what is a conjunction? The conjunction is a word or group of words that help to join two sentences. The common conjunctions used to join two simple sentences are and, but and or.

For e.g.

Rodger left home and Nadal returned home.

In the above sentence, you can notice that there are two simple sentences ‘Rodger left home’ and ‘Nadal returned home’, which were joined together with the conjunction ‘and’ to make a compound sentence. One similar e.g. is

I enjoyed the movie, but my sister didn’t like it.

3. Complex Sentences:

The characteristics of a complex sentence are:

  • It talks about more than one idea, thing, or person.
  • It has more than one verb in it.
  • It has more than one clause. At least one of the clauses is dependent on the other.

For e.g.

I carry only those things in my luggage which are easy to handle.

TYPES OF SENTENCES ON THE BASIS OF PURPOSE:

On the basis of the purpose for which a sentence is used, sentences are of four types:

  • Declarative Sentences
  • Imperative Sentences
  • Interrogative Sentences
  • Exclamatory Sentences

1. Declarative Sentences:

Declarative sentences are the sentences that are used to express some definite information. The use of declarative sentences is most common in day to day conversations. These type of sentences always ends with a full stop. For e.g.

Honesty is the best policy.

2. Imperative sentences:

Imperative sentences are actually used to order someone or give a command or make some requests. These sentences also end with the sign of period. For e.g.

Go to the rooftop.

3. Interrogative Sentences:

They are the sentences that are formed to interrogate someone i.e. to ask questions. They do not end with a period sign, but with a sign of question mark. For e.g.

Did you order her to leave the room?

4. Exclamatory Sentences:

These sentences are used to express feelings or emotions. These sentences are not very often used in academic writing. Literary works make use of these sentences only when they tend to convey very strong emotion. These type of sentence always end with a mark of exclamation. For e.g.

She is amazing!

I think you must now be very clear about what a sentence is and what its type is?

English sentence structure rules

PARTS OF SPEECH:

Now, let us move towards developing an understanding of the anatomy and parts of a sentence. You cannot make appropriate sentences if you don’t know the part of speech and tenses. Let us now understand the basic parts of speech one by one.

Noun: Noun is the basic entity of grammar. It is the name of place, thing, idea, feeling, activity, animal or quality. For e.g. Ram, Cat, Pencil are all noun. The noun can be further of three types: possessive, singular or plural.

Pronoun: Pronoun is something that calls the noun or takes its place. For e.g. I, they, we, etc.

Verb: A verb is a word that is used to express or show an activity. For e.g. walk, sit, run, see, raise, etc. are all verbs. There is a quality of verb – the verb is also used to show a tense by changing its form. All three tenses can easily be represented with the help of a verb. For e.g. while the word walk denotes the present tense, the word ‘walked’ is the past form of this verb.

Adverb: When some words tell or talk about the verb, they are said to be adverbs. For e.g. when, why, how, where, etc.

Adjective: Whenever there needs be any requirement of qualifying a noun, we use an adjective. For e.g. ‘She was wearing a red dress.’ ‘Red’ word is here qualifying or adding some quality to the noun, so it is an adjective here.

Proposition: A preposition relates nouns or pronouns. For e.g. in, on, beside, ahead, apart are all prepositions. It is used to express various things like reason, motion, time, etc.

Conjunction: As the proposition connects nouns/pronouns, conjunction connects two phrases or words. E.g. and, or, but, etc.

Interjection: Interjection is a word which expresses an emotion. For e.g. Alas, hurray, yippee, etc.

Articles: It is a word which modifies a noun. Articles are used mostly to refer to a noun.

PUNCTUATIONS TO BE USED IN A SENTENCE:

No sentence is ever complete without using punctuations. A full stop in itself is punctuation. Some of the punctuations used commonly are:

Capitalization: It is known to all the basis English knowers that each sentence starts with a capital letter. For e.g., Ram is a good boy. In this sentence, ‘R’ of Ram is capital because it is from this letter that the sentence is starting. Apart from the first letter of the sentence, name of books, people, special places, countries, etc. are all capitalized.

Question mark: Whenever a sentence is proposed to ask a question, it ends with a question mark. For e.g.

‘How do you do?’

Period/Full Stop: A usual sentence ends with a period. Naturally, a sentence which doesn’t end with an exclamation mark or question mark, it ends with a period. For e.g.

My name is David.

Colon: It is used to separate a sentence in two parts, especially when one part explains the second one. There is a semicolon (;) as well which is sometimes used in place of conjunction. You will find its common use before words like ‘therefore’ or ‘however’.

For e.g.

‘The parts of speech are Adverb, Verb, Noun, etc.

Commas (,): These are used in the sentence where there is any need for a pause in the sentence. These are also used to separate the different things, day of months, etc. For e.g.

‘She bought many things like apple, banana, pencil, cup, etc. ‘

Apostrophes (‘): It is used to show possession or in contractions. E.g.

‘Child’s play.’

There is one more rule for the use of an apostrophe. An apostrophe is used with s, if the noun is singular. And an apostrophe alone is used when the noun form is plural.

So, now you know all, parts of speech, punctuations, and types of sentences. The more you will practice making the sentences with them, the more you will get a hold on them.

Sentence formation in English with grammar

Let us now understand some more advanced grammar-related terminologies that help in constructing a sentence as well as understanding the structure of the sentence.

1. Object:

With subject and predicate, there is one more thing worth learning i.e. object. The object is the thing or the person upon which the verb acts. E.G. will make it more clear.

The singer is singing a song.

Here the object is ‘song’. It is the thing upon which the verb is relying. The verb singing depends on the thing song.

2. Transitive/Intransitive Verbs

These are simple to identify verbs. If any verb has an object attached to it, it is called transitive verb.

For e.g.

‘She sang a song.’

So in this sentence, the verb ‘sang’ has an object ‘song’ attached to it. So the verb and is a transitive verb. Now let us take the next example.

‘She consented.’

Here the verb ‘consent’ doesn’t have any object attached to it. The sentence is not clarifying that the subject ‘She’ consented for what. So it is an intransitive verb for sure.

The confusion arises when a verb seems to be both transitive and intransitive. For e.g. the verb ‘sing’ gave rise to such confusion sometimes.

3. Adverbials:

The adverbial works in line with an adverb i.e. it qualifies the verb. But the only difference is that an adverbial instead of qualifying the verb with a single word, it expresses in detail about how the action in the verb is/was done.

For e.g.

‘He spoke very politely.’

In this sentence, ‘politely’ is an adverb, but ‘very politely’ is adverbial.

4. Complement:

As the adverbial talks more about the verb, the complement talks more about the subject. It sometimes even talks in detail about the object also. Let us learn by example. The example of the complement talks about the subject.

‘She became a doctor.’

In the following sentence, the complement talks about the object.

‘She painted the wall red.’

Sometimes, we get confused between the adverbial and the compliment. With utmost care and precision only will you be able to differentiate between these two.

So, in this section, I have tried to explain all the basic terminologies, patterns, punctuations, etc. used to make a common sentence that doesn’t involve the complex use of the tense structures. Later, I am going to discuss the tenses as well. Till then learn, practice, and understand the above-defined concepts well.

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