Normally, sentences in the English language take a simple form. However, there are times it would be a little complex. In these cases, the basic rules for how words appear in a sentence can help you.
Word order typically refers to the way the words in a sentence are arranged. In the English language, the order of words is important if you wish to accurately and effectively communicate your thoughts and ideas.
Although there are some exceptions to these rules, this article aims to outline some basic sentence structures that can be used as templates. Also, the article provides the rules for the ordering of adverbs and adjectives in English sentences.
Basic Sentence Structure and word order rules in English
For English sentences, the simple rule of thumb is that the subject should always come before the verb followed by the object. This rule is usually referred to as the SVO word order, and then most sentences must conform to this. However, it is essential to know that this rule only applies to sentences that have a subject, verb, and object.
For example
Subject + Verb + Object
He loves food
She killed the rat
Sentences are usually made of at least one clause. A clause is a string of words with a subject(noun) and a predicate (verb). A sentence with just one clause is referred to as a simple sentence, while those with more than one clause are referred to as compound sentences, complex sentences, or compound-complex sentences.
The following is an explanation and example of the most commonly used clause patterns in the English language.
Inversion
InversionThe English word order is inverted in questions. The subject changes its place in a question. Also, English questions usually begin with a verb or a helping verb if the verb is complex.
For example
Verb + Subject + object
Can you finish the assignment?
Did you go to work?
Intransitive Verbs
Some sentences use verbs that require no object or nothing else to follow them. These verbs are generally referred to as intransitive verbs. With intransitive verbs, you can form the most basic sentences since all that is required is a subject (made of one noun) and a predicate (made of one verb).
For example
Subject + verb
John eats
Christine fights
Linking Verbs
Linking verbs are verbs that connect a subject to the quality of the subject. Sentences that use linking verbs usually contain a subject, the linking verb and a subject complement or predicate adjective in this order.
For example
Subject + verb + Subject complement/Predicate adjective
The dress was beautiful
Her voice was amazing
Transitive Verbs
Transitive verbs are verbs that tell what the subject did to something else. Sentences that use transitive verbs usually contain a subject, the transitive verb, and a direct object, usually in this order.
For example
Subject + Verb + Direct object
The father slapped his son
The teacher questioned his students
Indirect Objects
Sentences with transitive verbs can have a mixture of direct and indirect objects. Indirect objects are usually the receiver of the action or the audience of the direct object.
For example
Subject + Verb + IndirectObject + DirectObject
He gave the man a good job.
The singer gave the crowd a spectacular concert.
The order of direct and indirect objects can also be reversed. However, for the reversal of the order, there needs to be the inclusion of the preposition “to” before the indirect object. The addition of the preposition transforms the indirect object into what is called a prepositional phrase.
For example
Subject + Verb + DirectObject + Preposition + IndirectObject
He gave a lot of money to the man
The singer gave a spectacular concert to the crowd.
Adverbials
Adverbs are phrases or words that modify or qualify a verb, adjective, or other adverbs. They typically provide information on the when, where, how, and why of an action. Adverbs are usually very difficult to place as they can be in different positions in a sentence. Changing the placement of an adverb in a sentence can change the meaning or emphasis of that sentence.
Therefore, adverbials should be placed as close as possible to the things they modify, generally before the verbs.
For example
He hastily went to work.
He hurriedly ate his food.
However, if the verb is transitive, then the adverb should come after the transitive verb.
For example
John sat uncomfortably in the examination exam.
She spoke quietly in the class
The adverb of place is usually placed before the adverb of time
For example
John goes to work every morning
They arrived at school very late
The adverb of time can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence
For example
On Sunday he is traveling home
Every evening James jogs around the block
When there is more than one verb in the sentence, the adverb should be placed after the first verb.
For example
Peter will never forget his first dog
She has always loved eating rice.
Adjectives
Adjectives commonly refer to words that are used to describe someone or something. Adjectives can appear almost anywhere in the sentence.
Adjectives can sometimes appear after the verb to be
For example
He is fat
She is big
Adjectives can also appear before a noun.
For example
A big house
A fat boy
However, some sentences can contain more than one adjective to describe something or someone. These adjectives have an order in which they can appear before a now. The order is
Opinion – size – physical quality – shape – condition – age – color – pattern – origin – material – type – purpose
If more than one adjective is expected to come before a noun in a sentence, then it should follow this order. This order feels intuitive for native English speakers. However, it can be a little difficult to unpack for non-native English speakers.
For example
The ugly old woman is back
The dirty red car parked outside your house
When more than one adjective comes after a verb, it is usually connected by and
For example
The room is dark and cold
Having said that, Susan is tall and big
Get an expert to perfect your paper
Statements, or declarative sentences, can be in the form of simple, compound, or complex sentences.
This article describes standard word order in simple declarative sentences. Word order in compound sentences and complex sentences is described in Basic Word Order and Word Order in Complex Sentences in the section Grammar. Examples comparing standard word order and inverted word order can be found in Inversion in the section Miscellany.
Statements in the form of simple sentences are divided into unextended sentences and extended sentences. There are five parts of a sentence: the subject, the predicate, the object, the attribute, the adverbial modifier. The rules of word order indicate where their place in the sentence is.
Word order in simple unextended sentences
Standard word order in simple unextended declarative sentences is SUBJECT + PREDICATE.
Anna teaches.
Time flies.
We are reading.
He will understand.
Word order in simple extended sentences
Standard word order in simple extended declarative sentences is SUBJECT + PREDICATE + object + adverbial modifier.
Anna teaches mathematics.
Tom has returned my books.
We are reading a story now.
He will understand it later.
Adverbial modifiers are normally placed at the end of the sentence after the object (or after the verb, if there is no object). Attributes (adjectives, numerals, pronouns) usually stand before their nouns, and attributes in the form of nouns with prepositions are placed after their nouns.
Anna has classes on the second floor.
Tom has worked here for ten years.
He wrote two interesting articles about football.
The place of the subject
The subject is placed at the beginning of the sentence and is usually expressed by a noun or a pronoun. The subject group may include an article and an attribute.
Monkeys like bananas.
He writes short stories.
That student is from Rome.
Tom and Anna live in Boston.
His little son is learning to read.
The subject is placed after the verb in the structure «there is, there are» which is used when you want to say WHAT is in some place.
There is a table in the room.
There are two books on the table.
There was a car in front of the house.
The place of the predicate
The predicate stands after the subject and is usually represented by a main verb or by the combination of an auxiliary or modal verb with a main verb. Negative forms of auxiliary verbs can be full or contracted.
She likes chocolate.
I work at a small hotel.
The children are reading and writing new words.
She does not know him.
He hasn’t bought a car yet.
You shouldn’t do it.
We are not going to buy a new house this summer.
The verb «be» as a linking verb may be followed by a noun, an adjective, a numeral, or a pronoun as part of the predicate. (The use of the verb «be» is described in The Verb BE in the section Grammar.)
I am a teacher.
Tom is young.
The tea is too hot.
She was twenty.
He isn’t a doctor.
This isn’t she.
The place of the object
There are direct objects (without a preposition) and indirect objects (with or without a preposition). The object is placed after the main verb. If there are two objects after the verb, the word order is first the direct object, then the object with preposition.
Tom collects stamps.
He likes reading.
He likes to read.
He is waiting for a bus.
She gave two books to her brother.
Liz asked the boy about his father.
She made soup, salad, and roast beef for dinner.
Some transitive verbs (for example, bring, give, offer, sell, send, show, tell) are often followed by two objects without prepositions. In this case, the order after the verb is first the indirect object (without a preposition), then the direct object. Examples:
She gave him two books.
They offered me a good job.
He sent her a present.
The teacher told the students a story.
The place of the attribute
Attributes expressed by adjectives (or by pronouns, participles, numerals, nouns in the possessive case) usually stand before their nouns, i.e., before the noun in the subject, in the object, or in the adverbial modifier. Examples:
A good writer should know many things.
My old dog liked fresh apples.
We threw out several broken chairs.
Four students passed that difficult test.
The doctor’s new house is near a large park.
If there are several adjectives before a noun, a more specific adjective is placed closer to its noun than a more general adjective.
She bought a green sweater.
She bought a nice green woolen sweater.
Chicago is a big city.
Chicago is a beautiful big clean city.
My daughter likes soft blue, gray, and green colors.
My daughter likes soft gray, green, and blue colors.
Attributes in the form of a noun with a preposition or structures with participles are placed after the noun that they modify.
She bought a silk blouse with long sleeves.
Chicago is a big city in the Midwest.
I took the bus going through Springfield.
The waiter threw out the chairs broken in yesterday’s fight.
The place of the adverbial modifier
Adverbial modifiers of place, time, frequency, manner are often expressed by adverbs or by nouns with prepositions and are placed at the end of the sentence after the main verb or after the object if there is an object.
Adverbial modifiers of place
They live on Main Street.
The bedrooms are upstairs.
I went across the bridge.
She has to go to the bank.
They spent their vacation at the lake.
Adverbial modifiers of time
I’m going to see him tomorrow.
I spoke to him an hour ago.
He saw her before leaving.
I went to work after class.
She was sick yesterday.
The meeting was at ten o’clock last Friday.
Adverbial modifiers of frequency
She visits them sometimes.
They go to concerts often.
He calls her every day.
He writes to her regularly.
She goes shopping once or twice a week.
Adverbial modifiers of manner
He drives very fast.
He closed the door slowly.
He ate the food hungrily.
We came here by train.
He opened the door with a key.
Peculiarities of the position of adverbial modifiers
Adverbial modifiers consisting of two or more words are placed at the end of the sentence after the main verb (or after the object, if any). Possible positions of adverbial modifiers of time and frequency consisting of one word are described below.
One-word adverbs of frequency
One-word adverbs of frequency «often, frequently, rarely, regularly, sometimes» are often placed between the subject and the main verb in the simple tenses but may also be placed after the main verb (or after the object, if any).
He often goes to the park.
He goes to the park often.
We rarely buy food in that store.
He frequently visited them last year.
He visited them frequently last year.
Adverbs of frequency «usually, always, never, seldom» are placed between the subject and the main verb in the simple tenses but are usually placed after the verb «be».
They seldom talk about it.
She usually buys bread, cheese, and milk in this grocery store.
He always asks me this question.
He is always late.
He is never home before seven.
One-word adverbs of time
One-word adverbs of time «already, just, never, ever» are placed between the two parts of the predicate in the perfect tenses, though «already» can also stand after the main verb.
She has already left.
She has left already.
She has just called me.
I have never been to Mexico.
Have you ever seen this film?
They had already left for London by the time he arrived in Paris.
If there are two auxiliary verbs in a tense form, the adverb is usually placed after the first auxiliary verb. «Already» may also stand after the second auxiliary verb, for example, in the Future Perfect.
He has never been asked such questions.
He may already have called them.
His plane will already have landed by the time we get to the airport.
He will have already left for London by Friday.
Some one-word adverbs of time or frequency, for example, «today, tomorrow, yesterday, sometimes, usually», are sometimes placed at the beginning of the sentence before the subject (usually for emphasis).
Yesterday I talked to Jim.
Tomorrow we are leaving.
Suddenly the rain started.
Sometimes she stays at this hotel for a few days.
Usually, she has a cheese sandwich in the morning, but today she is eating scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Two-word adverbial modifiers
Two-word adverbs and adverbial modifiers with prepositions are placed at the end of the sentence after the verb (or after the object, if any). If there are several adverbial modifiers, the adverbial modifier of place is usually placed before the adverbial modifier of time.
They stayed in his house for about an hour.
Professor Benson usually has two classes at the university every day.
My new neighbors often read a good book in their garden after breakfast.
He arrived in Vienna by train at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday.
Порядок слов в повествовательных предложениях
Повествовательные предложения могут быть в виде простых, сложносочиненных или сложноподчиненных предложений.
Эта статья описывает стандартный порядок слов в простых повествовательных предложениях. Порядок слов в сложносочиненных и сложноподчиненных предложениях описан в статьях «Basic Word Order» и «Word Order in Complex Sentences» в разделе Grammar. Примеры, сравнивающие стандартный и обратный порядок слов, можно найти в статье «Inversion» в разделе Miscellany.
Простые повествовательные предложения делятся на нераспространенные предложения и распространенные предложения. Есть пять членов предложения: подлежащее, сказуемое, дополнение, определение, обстоятельство. Правила порядка слов указывают, где их место в предложении.
Порядок слов в простых нераспространенных предложениях
Стандартный порядок слов в простых нераспространенных повествовательных предложениях: подлежащее + сказуемое.
Анна преподает.
Время летит.
Мы читаем.
Он поймет.
Порядок слов в простых распространенных предложениях
Стандартный порядок слов в простых распространенных повествовательных предложениях: подлежащее + сказуемое + дополнение + обстоятельство.
Анна преподает математику.
Том вернул мои книги.
Мы читаем рассказ сейчас.
Он поймет это позже.
Обстоятельства обычно ставятся в конце предложения после дополнения (или после глагола, если дополнения нет). Определения (прилагательные, числительные, местоимения) обычно стоят перед своими существительными, а определения в форме существительных с предлогами ставятся после своих существительных.
У Анны занятия на втором этаже.
Том проработал здесь десять лет.
Он написал две интересные статьи о футболе.
Место подлежащего
Подлежащее ставится в начале предложения и обычно выражено существительным или местоимением. Группа подлежащего может включать артикль и определение.
Обезьяны любят бананы.
Он пишет короткие рассказы.
Тот студент – из Рима.
Том и Анна живут в Бостоне.
Его маленький сын учится читать.
Подлежащее ставится после глагола в конструкции «there is, there are», которая употребляется, когда вы хотите сказать, ЧТО именно находится в каком-то месте.
В комнате (находится) стол.
На столе (есть) две книги.
Перед домом был автомобиль.
Место сказуемого
Сказуемое стоит за подлежащим и обычно представлено основным глаголом или комбинацией вспомогательного или модального глагола с основным глаголом. Отрицательные формы вспомогательных глаголов могут быть полными или сокращенными.
Она любит шоколад.
Я работаю в маленькой гостинице.
Дети читают и пишут новые слова.
Она не знает его.
Он еще не купил машину.
Вам не следует этого делать.
Мы не собираемся покупать новый дом этим летом.
За глаголом «be» как за глаголом-связкой может следовать существительное, прилагательное, числительное или местоимение как часть сказуемого. (Употребление глагола «be» описано в статье «The Verb BE» в разделе Grammar.)
Я (есть) учитель.
Том молодой.
Чай слишком горячий.
Ей было двадцать.
Он не врач.
Это не она.
Место дополнения
Есть прямые дополнения (без предлога) и косвенные дополнения (с предлогом или без предлога). Дополнение ставится после основного глагола. Если есть два дополнения после глагола, порядок слов такой: сначала идет прямое дополнение, затем дополнение с предлогом.
Том собирает марки.
Он любит чтение.
Он любит читать.
Он ждет автобус.
Она дала две книги своему брату.
Лиз спросила мальчика о его отце.
Она приготовила суп, салат и ростбиф на обед.
За некоторыми переходными глаголами (например, принести, дать, предложить, продать, послать, показать, рассказать) часто следуют два дополнения без предлогов. В этом случае после глагола сначала идет косвенное дополнение (без предлога), а затем прямое дополнение. Примеры:
Она дала ему две книги.
Они предложили мне хорошую работу.
Он послал ей подарок.
Учитель рассказал студентам историю.
Место определения
Определения, выраженные прилагательными (или местоимениями, причастиями, числительными, существительными в притяжательном падеже), обычно стоят перед своими существительными, т.е. перед существительным в подлежащем, дополнении или обстоятельстве. Примеры:
Хороший писатель должен знать много вещей.
Моя старая собака любила свежие яблоки.
Мы выбросили несколько сломанных стульев.
Четыре студента сдали тот трудный тест.
Новый дом доктора находится возле большого парка.
Если есть несколько прилагательных перед существительным, более конкретизирующее прилагательное ставится ближе к своему существительному, чем более общее.
Она купила зеленый свитер.
Она купила хороший зеленый шерстяной свитер.
Чикаго большой город.
Чикаго красивый большой чистый город.
Моя дочь любит мягкие голубые, серые и зеленые цвета.
Моя дочь любит мягкие серые, зеленые и голубые цвета.
Определения в виде существительного с предлогом или конструкции с причастиями ставятся после существительного, которое они определяют.
Она купила шелковую блузку с длинными рукавами.
Чикаго большой город на Среднем Западе.
Я сел на автобус, идущий через Спрингфилд.
Официант выбросил стулья, сломанные во вчерашней драке.
Место обстоятельства
Обстоятельства места, времени, частоты действия, образа действия часто выражены наречиями или существительными с предлогами и ставятся в конце предложения после основного глагола или после дополнения, если есть дополнение.
Обстоятельства места
Они живут на Главной улице.
Спальни наверху.
Я перешел через мост.
Она должна пойти в банк.
Они провели свой отпуск у озера.
Обстоятельства времени
Я собираюсь увидеться с ним завтра.
Я говорил с ним час назад.
Он виделся с ней перед уходом.
Я пошел на работу после занятия.
Она была больна вчера.
Собрание было в десять часов в прошлую пятницу.
Обстоятельства частоты действия
Она их навещает иногда.
Они ходят на концерты часто.
Он звонит ей каждый день.
Он пишет ей регулярно.
Она ходит за покупками раз или два в неделю.
Обстоятельства образа действия
Он водит (машину) очень быстро.
Он закрыл дверь медленно.
Он с жадностью съел еду.
Мы приехали сюда поездом.
Он открыл дверь ключом.
Особенности расположения обстоятельств
Обстоятельства, состоящие из двух и более слов, ставятся в конце предложения после основного глагола (или после дополнения, если оно есть). Возможные варианты расположения обстоятельств времени и частоты действия, состоящих из одного слова, описаны ниже.
Наречия частоты действия из одного слова
Состоящие из одного слова наречия частоты действия «often, frequently, rarely, regularly, sometimes» часто ставятся между подлежащим и основным глаголом в простых временах, но могут также размещаться после основного глагола (или после дополнения, если оно есть).
Он часто ходит в парк.
Он ходит в парк часто.
Мы редко покупаем еду в том магазине.
Он часто навещал их в прошлом году.
Он навещал их часто в прошлом году.
Наречия частоты действия «usually, always, never, seldom» ставятся между подлежащим и основным глаголом в простых временах, но обычно ставятся после глагола «be».
Они редко говорят об этом.
Она обычно покупает хлеб, сыр и молоко в этом продуктовом магазине.
Он всегда задает мне этот вопрос.
Он всегда опаздывает.
Его никогда нет дома раньше семи.
Наречия времени из одного слова
Состоящие из одного слова наречия времени «already, just, never, ever» ставятся между двумя частями сказуемого в перфектных временах, хотя «already» может также стоять после основного глагола.
Она уже уехала.
Она уехала уже.
Она только что мне звонила.
Я никогда не бывал в Мексике.
Вы когда-либо видели этот фильм?
Они уже уехали в Лондон к тому времени, как он прибыл в Париж.
Если во временной форме два вспомогательных глагола, наречие обычно ставится после первого. «Already» может также стоять после второго вспомогательного глагола, например, во времени Future Perfect.
Ему никогда не задавали таких вопросов.
Он, возможно, уже позвонил им.
Его самолет уже приземлится к тому времени, как мы доберемся до аэропорта.
Он уже уедет в Лондон к пятнице.
Некоторые состоящие из одного слова наречия времени и частоты действия, например, «today, tomorrow, yesterday, sometimes, usually», иногда ставятся в начале предложения перед подлежащим (обычно для эмфатического выделения).
Вчера я поговорил с Джимом.
Завтра мы уезжаем.
Неожиданно начался дождь.
Иногда она останавливается в этой гостинице на несколько дней.
Обычно она ест бутерброд с сыром утром, но сегодня она ест яичницу на завтрак.
Обстоятельства из двух слов
Наречия из двух слов и обстоятельства с предлогами ставятся в конце предложения после глагола (или после дополнения, если оно есть). Если есть несколько обстоятельств, то обстоятельство места обычно ставится впереди обстоятельства времени.
Они оставались в его доме примерно час.
Профессор Бенсон обычно имеет два занятия в университете каждый день.
Мои новые соседи часто читают хорошую книгу в своем саду после завтрака.
Он приехал в Вену поездом в семь часов утра в четверг.
In English, the word order is strict. That means we can’t place parts of the sentence wherever we want, but we should follow some certain rules when making sentences. These rules apply not only to formal language but also to everyday spoken English. So, we should learn and always follow them.
Direct word order and inversion
When the sentence is positive (affirmative), the word order is direct. That means the verb follows the subject.
Examples
Caroline is a local celebrity. Caroline = subject, is = verb
We work remotely. We = subject, work = verb
You have been learning Spanish for two years. You= subject, have been learning = verb
In questions (interrogative sentences) the subject and the verb swap places. We call it indirect word order, or inversion.
Examples
Am I right? WRONG I am right?
How old are they? WRONG How old they are?
What day is it today? WRONG What day it is today?
If there is an auxiliary verb, its first word will precede the subject.
Examples
Are you sleeping?
Have you read my message?
Will you help me, please?
Has anyone been looking for me?
Will he have finished the job by 5 o’clock?
Direct and indirect objects
The object normally goes right after the verb. We don’t put any other words between them.
I like my job very much. WRONG like very much my job
He meets his friends every Friday. WRONG meets every Friday his friends
In the examples above, the object is direct. A direct object answers the question «whom» or «what» and there is no preposition after the verb. If we can’t put the object without a preposition (talk to smb, agree with smb, rely on smb), the object is indirect.
I’m not satisfied with my test score.
Let’s talk about the new project.
Now, if we have two objects, one is indirect and the other is direct, then the direct object has the priority to go first.
The professor explained the concept to the students. WRONG to the student the concept
He said nothing about those errors. WRONG about those errors nothing
If there are two direct objects and one of them is a pronoun, the pronoun goes behind the verb.
Could you show me the way, please? WRONG the way me
They wished her luck. WRONG luck her
Place and time
Expressions of time and place usually go together after the verb and the object (if there is one). We first indicate the place (where, where to) and then the time (when, how often, how long).
Examples
We go {to the theatre} {every month}. where=to the theatre, how often=every month
There were lots of people {in the park} {on Sunday}. where=in the park, when=on Sunday
Jim will give me a lift {to the station} {after the meeting}. where to=to the station, when=after the meeting
lt is often possible to put time at the beginning of the sentence.
At this time tomorrow, we’ll be going to the airport.
Sometimes I want to be alone.
Summary
Let’s briefly sum up the rules:
- Positive sentence: subject + verb. Question sentence: verb + subject
- Do not split the verb and the object
- Direct objects go before the indirect objects
- If one of two direct objects is a pronoun, it goes first
- Place goes before time
In addition, a certain word order allows the interlocutor to understand what type of sentence is being discussed: affirmative, negative, interrogative, imperative or exclamatory. To figure it out, let’s remember what the members of the proposal are.
A characteristic feature of sentences in English is a firm word order. Solid word order is of great importance in modern English, because, due to the poorly represented morphological system in the language, the members of the sentence are often distinguished only by their place in the sentence.
The direct word order in an English sentence is as follows: the subject is in the first place, the predicate is in the second, and the complement is in the third. In some cases, the circumstance may come first. In an English sentence, an auxiliary verb may appear in the main verb.
What is the word order in the English interrogative sentence?
In the first place the necessary QUESTIONAL WORD is put, in the second — the FAVORABLE, in the third place — the SUBJECT, in the fourth place are the SECONDARY members of the sentence.
What is the word order in an English declarative sentence?
A characteristic and distinctive feature of declarative affirmative sentences in English is the observance of a firm (direct) word order. This means that in the first place in a sentence the subject is usually put, in the second place — the predicate, in the third place — the addition and then the circumstances.
Why is direct word order in English?
In grammar, it is customary to distinguish two types of word order: Direct Order, which is used in declarative (affirmative and negative) sentences, and Indirect Order, which helps to ask a question, express an exclamation, or even give an order.
What order are adjectives in English?
The order of adjectives in English
- Article or other qualifier (a, the, his)
- Rating, opinion (good, bad, terrible, nice)
- Size (large, little, tiny)
- Age (new, young, old)
- Shape (square, round)
- Color (red, yellow, green)
- Origin (French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek)
How to build sentences correctly?
The subject is usually placed before the predicate. The agreed definition is before the word being defined, the circumstance of the mode of action is before the predicate, and the rest of the circumstances and addition are after the predicate. This word order is called direct. In speech, the specified order of the members of the sentence is often violated.
How many words are there in English?
Let’s try to find out the number of words in English by looking in the dictionary: The second edition of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary contains 171 words currently in use, and 476 obsolete words. To this can be added about 47 derivative words.
How to determine what time a sentence is in English?
The tense in an English sentence is determined by the verb. Note, not by additional words, but by the predicate verb.
How to construct an interrogative sentence in English correctly?
The special question uses interrogative words. They are what, where, when, whose, (when), how, why, and so on. The interrogative word is placed at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the verb (or auxiliary verb), the subjects — and then the rest of the sentence.
How to make negative sentences in English?
To make sentences negative, you must put the word «not» after the modal verb. For example, we have an affirmative sentence: He can swim. He can swim.
What is the word order in an affirmative sentence?
In an affirmative sentence, the subject is in the first place, the predicate is in the second place, and the secondary members of the sentence are in the third place.
What is a big word order sentence?
In direct word order, the subject precedes the predicate, i.e. comes first. In the reverse order of words, the subject is placed immediately after the predicate (its conjugated part).
What is a narrative sentence example?
A narrative sentence is used by the speaker to inform about some facts, phenomena of reality, about their thoughts, experiences and feelings, etc. May beetles whirled over the birches. A frog croaked at the shore.
What are the tenses in English?
There are also three English tenses — present, past and future, but depending on whether the action is complete or prolonged, each of these tenses can be of four types — simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous.
1. What is Word Order?
Word order is important: it’s what makes your sentences make sense! So, proper word order is an essential part of writing and speaking—when we put words in the wrong order, the result is a confusing, unclear, and an incorrect sentence.
2.Examples of Word Order
Here are some examples of words put into the correct and incorrect order:
I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters at home. CORRECT
2 brothers and 2 sisters have I at home. INCORRECT
I am in middle school. CORRECT
In middle school I am. INCORRECT
How are you today? CORRECT
You are how today? INCORRECT
As you can see, it’s usually easy to see whether or not your words are in the correct order. When words are out of order, they stand out, and usually change the meaning of a sentence or make it hard to understand.
3. Types of Word Order
In English, we follow one main pattern for normal sentences and one main pattern for sentences that ask a question.
a. Standard Word Order
A sentence’s standard word order is Subject + Verb + Object (SVO). Remember, the subject is what a sentence is about; so, it comes first. For example:
The dog (subject) + eats (verb) + popcorn (object).
The subject comes first in a sentence because it makes our meaning clear when writing and speaking. Then, the verb comes after the subject, and the object comes after the verb; and that’s the most common word order. Otherwise, a sentence doesn’t make sense, like this:
Eats popcorn the dog. (verb + object + subject)
Popcorn the dog eats. (object + subject + verb)
B. Questions
When asking a question, we follow the order auxiliary verb/modal auxiliary + subject + verb (ASV). Auxiliary verbs and modal auxiliaries share meaning or function, many which are forms of the verb “to be.” Auxiliary verbs can change form, but modal auxiliaries don’t. Here’s a chart to help you:
As said, questions follow the form ASV; or, if they have an object, ASVO. Here are some examples:
Can he cook? “Can” (auxiliary) “he” (subject) “cook” (verb)
Does your dog like popcorn? “Does” (A) “your dog” (S) “like” (V) “popcorn” (O)
Are you burning the popcorn? “Are” (A) “you” (S) “burning” (V) “popcorn” (O)
4. Parts of Word Order
While almost sentences need to follow the basic SVO word order, we add other words, like indirect objects and modifiers, to make them more detailed.
a. Indirect Objects
When we add an indirect object, a sentence will follow a slightly different order. Indirect objects always come between the verb and the object, following the pattern SVIO, like this:
I fed the dog some popcorn.
This sentence has “I” (subject) “fed” (verb) “dog” (indirect object) “popcorn” (direct object).
b. Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases also have special positions in sentences. When we use the prepositions like “to” or “for,” then the indirect object becomes part of a prepositional phrase, and follows the order SVOP, like this:
I fed some popcorn to the dog.
Other prepositional phrases, determining time and location, can go at either the beginning or the end of a sentence:
He ate popcorn at the fair. -Or- At the fair he ate popcorn.
In the morning I will go home. I will go home in the morning.
c. Adverbs
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, adding things like time, manner, degree; and often end in ly, like “slowly,” “recently,” “nearly,” and so on. As a rule, an adverb (or any modifier) should be as close as possible to the thing it is modifying. But, adverbs are special because they can usually be placed in more than one spot in the sentence and are still correct. So, there are rules about their placement, but also many exceptions.
In general, when modifying an adjective or adverb, an adverb should go before the word it modifies:
The dog was extremely hungry. CORRECT adverb modifies “hungry”
Extremely, the dog was hungry. INCORRECT misplaced adverb
The extremely dog was hungry. INCORRECT misplaced adverb
The dog was hungry extremely. INCORRECT misplaced adverb
As you can see, the word “extremely” only makes sense just before the adjective “hungry.” In this situation, the adverb can only go in one place.
When modifying a verb, an adverb should generally go right after the word it modifies, as in the first sentence below. BUT, these other uses are also correct, though they may not be the best:
The dog ran quickly to the fair. CORRECT * BEST POSITION
Quickly the dog ran to the fair. CORRECT
The dog quickly ran to the fair. CORRECT
The dog ran to the fair quickly. CORRECT
For adverbs expressing frequency (how often something happens) the adverb goes directly after the subject:
The dog always eats popcorn.
He never runs slowly.
I rarely see him.
Adverbs expressing time (when something happens) can go at either the beginning or of the end of the sentence, depending what’s important about the sentence. If the time isn’t very important, then it goes at the beginning of the sentence, but if you want to emphasize the time, then the adverb goes at the end of the sentence:
Now the dog wants popcorn. Emphasis on “the dog wants popcorn”
The dog wants popcorn now. Emphasis on “now”
5. How to Use Avoid Mistakes with Word Order
Aside from following the proper SVO pattern, it’s important to write and speak in the way that is the least confusing and the most clear. If you make mistakes with your word order, then your sentences won’t make sense. Basically, if a sentence is hard to understand, then it isn’t correct. Here are a few key things to remember:
- The subject is what a sentence is about, so it should come first.
- A modifier (like an adverb) should generally go as close as possible to the thing it is modifying.
- Indirect objects can change the word order from SVO to SVIO
- Prepositional phrases have special positions in sentences
Finally, here’s an easy tip: when writing, always reread your sentences out loud to make sure that the words are in the proper order—it is usually pretty easy to hear! If a sentence is clear, then you should only need to read it once to understand it.
Word order refers to the conventional arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence.
Compared with many other languages, word order in English is fairly rigid. In particular, the order of subject, verb, and object is relatively inflexible.
Examples and Observations
- «I can’t see the point of Mozart. Of Mozart I can’t see the point. The point of Mozart I can’t see. See I can’t of Mozart the point. Can’t I of Mozart point the see . . . I can’t see the point of Mozart.» (Sebastian Faulks, Engleby. Doubleday, 2007)
- «[A] characteristic of modern English, as of other modern languages, is the use of word-order as a means of grammatical expression. If in an English sentence, such as ‘The wolf ate the lamb,’ we transpose the positions of the nouns, we entirely change the meaning of the sentence; the subject and object are not denoted by any terminations to the words, as they would be in Greek or Latin or in modern German, but by their position before or after the verb.»
(Logan Pearsall Smith, The English Language, 1912)
Basic Word Order in Modern English
«Assume you wanted to say that a chicken crossed the road in Modern English. And assume you are interested only in stating the facts—no questions asked, no commands, and no passive. You wouldn’t have much of a choice, would you? The most natural way of stating the message would be as in (18a), with the subject (in caps) preceding the verb (in boldface) which, in turn, precedes the object (in italics). For some speakers (18b) would be acceptable, too, but clearly more ‘marked,’ with particular emphasis on the road. Many other speakers would prefer to express such an emphasis by saying something like It’s the road that the chicken crossed, or they would use a passive The road was crossed by the chicken. Other permutations of (18a) would be entirely unacceptable, such as (18c)-(18f).
(18a) THE CHICKEN crossed the road
[Basic, ‘unmarked’ order]
(18b) the road THE CHICKEN crossed
[‘Marked’ order; the road is ‘in relief’]
(18c) THE CHICKEN the road crossed*
(18d) the road crossed THE CHICKEN*
[But note constructions like: Out of the cave came A TIGER.]
(18e) crossed the road THE CHICKEN*
(18f) crossed THE CHICKEN the road*
In this respect, Modern English differs markedly from the majority of the early Indo-European languages, as well as from Old English, especially the very archaic stage of Old English found in the famous epic Beowulf. In these languages, any of the six different orders in (18) would be acceptable . . ..»
(Hans Henrich Hock and Brian D. Joseph, Language History, Language Change, and Language Relationship: An Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics. Mouton de Gruyter, 1996)
Word Order in Old English, Middle English, and Modern English
«Certainly, word order is critical in Modern English. Recall the famous example: The dog bit the man. This utterance means something totally different from The man bit the dog. In Old English, word endings conveyed which creature is doing the biting and which is being bitten, so there was built-in flexibility for word order. Inflection telling us ‘dog-subject bites man-object’ allows words to be switched around without confusion: ‘man-object bites dog-subject.’ Alerted that the man is the object of the verb, we can hold him in mind as the recipient of a bite made by a subject we know will be revealed next: ‘dog.’
«By the time English evolved into Middle English, loss of inflection meant that nouns no longer contained much grammatical information. On its own, the word man could be a subject or an object, or even an indirect object (as in ‘The dog fetched the man a bone’). To compensate for this loss of information that inflection has provided, word order became critically important. If the man appears after the verb bite, we know he’s not the one doing the biting: The dog bit the man. Indeed, having lost so much inflection, Modern English relies heavily on word order to convey grammatical information. And it doesn’t much like having its conventional word order upset.» (Leslie Dunton-Downer, The English Is Coming!: How One Language Is Sweeping the World. Simon & Schuster, 2010)
Adverbials
«One way to find out whether a sentence part is a subject or not is to make the sentence into a question. The subject will appear after the first verb:
He told me to add one tablespoon of honey per pound of fruit.
Did he tell me . . .?
We spread a thin layer of fruit on each plate.
Did we spread . . .?
The only constituent that may occur in many different places is an adverbial. Especially one-word adverbials like not, always, and often may occur almost anywhere in the sentence. In order to see if a sentence part is an adverbial or not, see if it is possible to move it in the sentence.»
(Marjolijn Verspoor and Kim Sauter, English Sentence Analysis: An Introductory Course. John Benjamins, 2000)
The Lighter Side of Word Order in Monty Python’s Flying Circus
Burrows: Good doctor morning! Nice year for the time of day!
Dr. Thripshaw: Come in.
Burrows: Can I down sit?
Dr. Thripshaw: Certainly. Well, then?
Burrows: Well, now, not going to bush the doctor about the beat too long. I’m going to come to point the straight immediately.
Dr. Thripshaw: Good, good.
Burrows: My particular prob, or buglem bear, I’ve had ages. For years, I’ve had it for donkeys.
Dr. Thripshaw: What?
Burrows: I’m up to here with it, I’m sick to death. I can’t take you any longer so I’ve come to see it.
Dr. Thripshaw: Ah, now this is your problem with words.
Burrows: This is my problem with words. Oh, that seems to have cleared it. «Oh I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee.» Yes, that seems to be all right. Thank you very much.
Dr. Thripshaw: I see. But recently you have been having this problem with your word order.
Burrows: Well, absolutely, and what makes it worse, sometimes at the end of a sentence I’ll come out with the wrong fusebox.
Dr. Thripshaw: Fusebox?
Burrows: And the thing about saying the wrong word is a) I don’t notice it, and b) sometimes orange water given bucket of plaster.
(Michael Palin and John Cleese in episode 36 of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, 1972)
Word order and sentence structure are essential for any language-learner. They can determine the meaning of a sentence, help you emphasize certain aspects of the sentence, and allow your speech and writing to sound more natural.
In this article, I’ll guide you through the following two topics:
- Correct sentence structure in English
- English word order rules
I’ll also provide you with several English word order examples along the way, so you can see how it all works together.
Once you understand the most basic English sentence structures, you’ll be a much more effective communicator. Before we continue, you may find it helpful to take a look at our English grammar page and familiarize yourself with some of the topics I’ll cover.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- Overview of Word Order in English
- Basic Sentence Structure Rules
- Let’s Add Prepositional Phrases
- And Now Modifiers
- Sentence Transformations!
- Final Thoughts
1. Overview of Word Order in English
What is the order of an English sentence?
Overall, the sentence structures in English are very flexible. Which structure you use depends on context and personal preference, although Subject + Verb + Object (SVO) is the most common structure. For example:
“I pet the cat.“
It’s also possible to form very simple sentences with only the subject and verb as long as they form a complete thought (SV):
“He ran.“
That said, there are four types of sentence structures that are commonly used in English.
1- The Four Types of Sentence Structures
Before we go any further, you need to know the difference between dependent and independent clauses.
1. Dependent vs. Independent
Dependent:
A dependent clause is one that requires an independent clause to be a complete sentence. Dependent clauses do not contain enough information (a subject, verb, and complete idea) to be a sentence. An example would be the clause “Since Kaitlyn didn’t come.”
This clause leaves the listener wanting more information. What was the result of Kaitlyn not coming?
Independent:
An independent clause is one that can be used by itself and contains all the information it needs to be complete. An example would be the clause “I felt lonely.”
Although we don’t have tons of information available to us, the above clause represents a complete idea. It has a subject (I), a verb (felt), and a word that adds necessary information to the verb (lonely).
Putting Them Together:
Remember how I said that a dependent clause needs an independent clause to be complete? Check this out:
“Since Kaitlyn didn’t come, I felt lonely.”
Now we have an answer to what was previously a dependent clause. And now we have even added more information to the already-completed independent clause. It’s a win-win!
2. What are Four Types of Sentence Structures?
There are four basic English sentence structure types (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex). We’ve outlined them below.
| Definition | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | Requires a subject and a verb.
Consists of one independent clause. Sometimes it has an object as well. |
“I worked.” OR “I worked on the book.”
He proposed. OR “He proposed to her.” “She smiled.” OR “She smiled at him.” |
| Compound | Consists of two (or more) independent clauses.
The independent clauses are usually connected by a linking word or phrase (as shown in these examples), a semicolon, or a colon. |
“I worked, and then I made dinner.”
“He proposed, and she said yes.” “She smiled and (she) took his hand.” |
| Complex | Consists of one independent clause and one dependent clause. | “I worked, even though I was tired.“
“Though nervous, he proposed.“ “Because she smiled, he was happy.“ |
| Compound-Complex | Consists of two independent clauses and one dependent clause. | “I worked, even though I was tired, and then I made dinner.“
“Though nervous, he proposed, and she said yes.“ “Because she smiled, he was happy; then she took his hand.“ |
This is just an overview. In the following sections, I’ll go into more detail about how these sentence transformations work, starting with the basics of word order in English.
2. Basic Sentence Structure Rules
As mentioned earlier, in English, you only need two words to create a whole sentence: The subject (S) and the verb (V). This is the SV sentence structure.
“Sarah writes.“
You can add more information to this simple sentence by adding an object (O) to the end. This becomes the SVO sentence structure.
“Sarah writes poetry.“
The SV and SVO sentence structures are the most common structures in the United States. The only real exception is when people are giving a command or asking a question. In this case, they may be able to get away with using one word or an incomplete thought:
- “Peter!” (S)
- “Stop!” (V)
- “The book!” (O)
- “Why?” (Question)
In the cases above, the context will help you determine the meaning.
In all other situations, it’s most proper to use the SV or SVO structure (unless you want to talk like Yoda with OSV).
3. Let’s Add Prepositional Phrases
1- The Basics
What happens to a sentence when you add a prepositional phrase? What does that look like?
A prepositional phrase adds information to simple sentences. Often, it answers the questions of where, when, how, and why something happened.
Here are four examples of prepositional phrases:
- In the park (Where)
“Sarah writes poetry in the park.”
- At night (When)
“Sarah writes poetry at night.”
- By herself (How)
“Sarah writes poetry by herself.”
- Because it’s fun (Why)
“Sarah writes poetry because it’s fun.”
2- Position in a Sentence
In the above examples, the prepositional phrases are at the end of the sentence. But, a prepositional phrase can also come at the beginning of a sentence, although this is less common. The order you choose depends on what you want to emphasize in your sentence.
For example, if you want to emphasize what time Sarah writes poetry, you could say:
“At night, Sarah writes poetry.“
This indicates when Sarah chooses to write. It also suggests that when she writes is more important than the fact that she writes poetry in general.
3- What to do with Multiple Prepositions
What if you wanted to tell someone all the information above in one sentence? Well, here are a few different ways:
- “Sarah writes poetry in the park by herself at night because it’s fun.“
- “In the park, Sarah writes poetry at night by herself because it’s fun.“
- “At night, Sarah writes poetry in the park by herself because it’s fun.“
- “Sarah writes poetry by herself in the park at night because it’s fun.“
- “At night, in the park by herself, Sarah writes poetry because it’s fun.“
Note that, usually, the why prepositional phrase comes at the end of the sentence. It tends to sound better there, and people are still able to emphasize it when it’s at the end through tone of voice.
As you can see, the word order in English sentences for prepositional phrases is flexible. In general, you can choose the order that makes the most sense to you.
And don’t worry too much. In most cases, people don’t use sentences this long in conversations! Instead, you’re more likely to hear a simple: “Sarah writes poetry in the park at night.“
4. And Now Modifiers
A modifier is a word that modifies (adds info or meaning to) another word, usually a noun or verb. Below is an English word order chart describing each type of modifier with examples.
| Definition | Examples | Usage | Placement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjectives | Words that describe a noun. | Hot
Easy |
1. “It was a hot day.”
2. “The test was easy.” |
1. Before the noun it describes.
2. After the noun it describes, with a “be” verb in between. |
| Adverbs | Words that describe a verb. | Quickly
Carefully Hopefully Currently |
1. “Quickly, I ran.”
2. “She put the knife down carefully.” 3. “The cat followed hopefully after its owner.” 4. “I currently don’t own a cat.” |
1. Beginning of a sentence.
2. End of a sentence. 3. After the verb it describes. 4. After the subject performing the verb. |
| Determiners | Words that indicate which of something you’re talking about. | This
That These Those |
1. “This is good.”
2. “He didn’t know that.” 3. “These cookies are delicious.” 4. “Aren’t those strange?” |
1. Beginning of a sentence.
2. End of a sentence. 3. Before a noun. 4. After a verb and before an adjective. |
| Numerals | Numbers that describe how many. | One
Two Three |
1. “One more, please.”
2. “Can I have two?” 3. “I want three donuts.” |
1. Beginning of a sentence.
2. End of a sentence. 3. After a verb. |
| Possessors | Words that indicate who possesses something. | His
Her |
1. “That book is his.”
2. “Where’s her backpack?” |
1. End of a sentence.
2. Before a noun, usually an object. |
| Relative Clauses | A series of words that add information to a sentence. | That I ordered
That he saw Of the color That she wore |
1. “That I ordered a bicycle is strange.”
2. “Where’s the squirrel that he saw?” 3. “The flower was of the color red.” 4. “The dress that she wore was very pretty.” |
1. Beginning of a sentence. [uncommon]
2. End of a sentence. 3. After a be verb and before an adjective. 4. After a noun, usually an object. |
Confused about how a relative clause differs from a prepositional phrase? You can find more information on this page.
1- Using Multiple Modifiers
What happens if you need to use more than one modifier in a sentence?
Key: Adjective, Adverb, Possessor, Relative Clause.
I quickly sat on the green grass and dropped my book beside me.
I dropped my book beside me and quickly sat on the green grass.
The two sentences above use all the same words, but the two clauses are in a different order. Yet, note that the order of the modifiers within those clauses remains the same, even though the order of what happens in the sentence differs.
- The adjective is before the noun it describes (green grass).
- The adverb is before the verb it describes (quickly sat).
- The possessor is before the object that’s owned (my book).
- The relative clause explains where the book was dropped (beside me).
Note that for the adverb, one could also say “sat quickly,” and it would be correct.
5. Sentence Transformations!
Okay. So how do you use this information to create longer, more specific sentences?
Because the English language is flexible with its word order, there are no solid rules for how to do this. The word order of modifiers and prepositional phrases often depends on the context.
Below are a couple of English word order exercises to show you how this works.
—
1) Let’s take a look at this simple S + V sentence, and go from there.
“Carol ate.“
2) Add an object to create an SVO sentence. This will let the reader know what Carol ate.
“Carol ate soup.“
3) Now, how much soup did Carol eat?
“Carol ate three bowls of soup.“
4) When did Carol eat the soup?
“Carol ate three bowls of soup yesterday.“
5) What kind of soup did Carol eat?
“Carol ate three bowls of minestrone soup yesterday.“
—
Keep in mind that this is only one example of how you can transform a sentence. For example, you could also say, “Yesterday, Carol ate three bowls of minestrone soup.” And it would mean the same thing.
—
Now let’s look at another example:
1) Wendy played.
2) Wendy played chess.
3) Wendy played two games of chess.
4) Wendy played two games of chess last night.
5) Wendy played two difficult games of chess last night.
Here, we did exactly the same thing, except in the final step when we added the modifier “difficult.” Instead of saying “the chess” was difficult, we said that the games of chess were difficult, which sounds more natural in English.
1- Bonus: Making it a Yes-or-No Question
You’ve learned about simple and complex sentences, but what about English word order in questions?
There are two main ways that you can turn sentences into simple questions.
Option 1
1) Add the appropriate verb to the very beginning of the sentence.
2) Conjugate the verb accordingly.
3) Put a question mark at the very end of the sentence.
Here’s how this would look using our example sentences:
Did Carol eat three bowls of minestrone soup yesterday?
Did Wendy play two difficult games of chess last night?
You may be wondering why the verbs are in the present tense in the questions, instead of the past tense. Although the events took place in the past (yesterday and last night), when asking a question about past events, the verbs should be in the present tense.
For a more detailed explanation of how to conjugate verbs, make sure to visit my article on English verb conjugation!
Option 2
1) Simply put a question mark at the end of the original sentence.
Carol ate three bowls of minestrone soup yesterday?
Wendy played two difficult games of chess last night?
This option is a little less formal than the first option. It’s typically used when you’re astonished or amazed at something. In the first example, you may emphasize “three bowls” because that’s a lot of soup!
6. Final Thoughts
Because there are so many ways you can compose sentences in English, you may feel overwhelmed. Even though flexibility can be handy, it can take a long time to get used to English sentence structures.
The word orders I outlined in this article are the most commonly used ones and are what you should focus on when you start learning English. Review the examples as many times, and as often, as you need to. The more you expose yourself to these sentence structures, the more familiar you’ll become with them.
In the meantime, don’t be afraid to practice! You may want to start by writing or typing out simple sentences, and then expanding them step-by-step as I did above. And once you’re comfortable with the process, try using longer sentences in conversations with friends or family!
For more English language content from EnglishClass101.com, check out the following pages:
- Top 100 English Nouns
- Top 100 English Adjectives
- Top 100 English Verbs
- Top 100 English Adverbs
- Pronouns in English
Is there anything you’re still struggling with, or any topic we haven’t covered yet? Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns in the comments section, and we’ll do our best to help you out!
Happy learning!