Dear students and parents, we have prepared an English lesson for you that will help you understand the basic rules when constructing an English sentence. First, we will look at the types of sentences based on the verbs used, and then we will learn how to construct affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences. At the end of the article there are tables that you can save and print to use as visual material.
Types of offers.
IN English language There are two types of sentences: with a regular verb denoting an action, feeling or state, and with a connective verb to be. Now we will tell you what the difference is. If in Russian we use a verb, then in English we will also use a verb. For example, “I go to school” - here the verb “go”, which in English sounds like “go”. We put this verb in an English sentence: “I go to school.” If in Russian there is no verb, or rather, there is a verb “is”, which according to the rules of the Russian language is omitted (The weather is good - The weather is good), then in English this place is replaced by the verb to be, which is translated as “there is” "to be", "to exist". In other words, in Russian we often use sentences without a verb, in English this is impossible!
Let's first look at sentences with ordinary verbs; they have one trick - in the third person singular, the ending -s or -es must be added to the verb. The third person singular is a noun meaning he, she or it, that is, not you or me, but someone else alone. At first glance, this seems complicated and incomprehensible, but in fact, this rule makes learning English very easy! In English there is no person conjugation of verbs. Look how difficult the Russian language is and how much easier English is:
I I'm walking to school. I go to school.
Vasya (he) walks to school. Vasya goes to school.
Nastya (her) walks to school. Nastya goes to school.
They walk to school. They go to school.
We let's go to school. We go to school.
While in Russian the verb endings actively change according to persons: I go, walks, walk, walk, in English only in the third person singular (he and she) did the ending –es appear. If the verb ends with a consonant, then –s is added (swim – swim s), and if on a vowel, then –es (go – go es).
Let's look at examples with the verb to be. If in Russian we do not use a verb (that is, we omit the verb “is”), then in the English translation the verb to be will appear. Katya (is) a beautiful girl. In Russian there is no verb, in English the verb to be appears in the form is: Katya is a beautiful girl.
The difficulty is that the verb to be has three forms that you need to know by heart:
- am– we use it when we talk about ourselves: I (am) a schoolboy. I am a pupil
- is– we use the third person singular (he, she, it): Katya (she) is a beautiful girl. Katya is a beautiful girl.
- are– used in the plural or in the second person (we, they, you, you): Vanya and Petya (they) best friends. Vanya and Petya are best friends.
Affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.
Let us remember once again that in English there are two types of sentences: with a regular verb, which has a corresponding translation into Russian, and with the verb to be, which is omitted in Russian. These two types of sentences have different structures. Let's start with the verb to be. Let's look at the same examples, but in different forms: affirmative, interrogative and negative. Read carefully the Russian sentences and their translation into English, try to determine the pattern.
I'm a schoolboy. I am a pupil.
Am I a schoolboy? Am I'm a pupil?
I'm not a schoolboy. I am not a pupil.
Katya is a beautiful girl. Katya is a beautiful girl
Katya is a beautiful girl? Is Katya a beautiful girl?
Katya is an ugly girl. Katya is not a beautiful girl.
Vanya and Petya are best friends. Vanya and Petya are best friends.
Vanya and Petya are best friends? Are Vanya and Petya best friends?
Vanya and Petya are not best friends. Vanya and Petya are not best friends.
So, in an affirmative sentence in English there is a strict word order: subject (main noun), predicate (verb), minor members offers. If in Russian we can change the order of words as we please, changing the meaning and emotional connotation, then in English this is strictly prohibited; they will not understand you. In Russian we say: “I love you”, “I love you” or “I love you” and so on, but in English there is only one option: “I love you” and nothing else. The same in the given examples: Katya is a beautiful girl. Where Katya is the subject, there is no predicate in the Russian language (it could be the verb “is”), a beautiful girl are the secondary members of the sentence. In an English sentence: Katya is the subject, is is the predicate, and a beautiful girl are the minor members of the sentence. Hence two rules:
- When constructing an interrogative sentence in English, the predicate (verb) comes first.
- When constructing a negative sentence, the negative particle not is added to the predicate (verb).
Now let's look at sentences with ordinary verbs, read the examples carefully:
I am going to school. I go to school.
I am going to school? Do I go to school.
I do not go to school. I don't go to school.
Nastya goes to school. Nastya goes to school.
Does Nastya go to school? Does Nastya go to school?
Nastya does not go to school. Nastya doesn't go to school.
The principle is the same as in sentences with the verb to be, only instead of rearranging the verb itself, we have the so-called auxiliary verb to do. Why auxiliary? Because it helps us build the necessary sentence structure and grammar. Thus, when asked, it is not the main verb to go that comes first, but the auxiliary verb to do. When negated, the particle not is attached not directly to the main verb, but to the emerging verb to do. In addition, the verb to do always takes over the entire grammar of the main verb. In the second example, the verb to do took on the ending –es, which is given to the third person singular. Please note that the ending of the main verb has disappeared because the auxiliary verb has taken it away.
Let us summarize the information received. To construct a sentence in English, we first need to identify the verb. There are two options: a regular verb that has an analogue in English, denoting an action, feeling or state, or a verb to be, is to exist, which cannot be translated into Russian. Next, if this is an ordinary verb, you need to determine whether the ending will be –es (third person singular); if this is a verb to be, then you need to determine its form (am, is, are). We choose the necessary form of the sentence: affirmative, interrogative, negative. And we put everything in its place!
We use generally accepted abbreviations:
I am - i a m - I'm
he is - he i s - he's
she is - she i s - she's
it is - it i s - it’s
they are – they a re – they’re
we are - we a re - we're
you are - you a re - you're
do not - don o t - don’t
does not - doesn't o t - doesn't
Interesting fact: IN affirmative sentences With a regular verb, the auxiliary verb to do is also sometimes used. It adds persuasiveness and firmness to the proposal. For example:
I go to school. I am going to school.
I have to go to school! I actually go to school!
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Correct construction of sentences in English is impossible without knowledge of the basic laws of the formation of their structure. So, in the Russian language, to describe a situation, it is enough to take the words involved in it (names of concepts, objects, etc.) and connect them together using endings formed by declension in cases and numbers. However, the English language is devoid of such endings, and therefore a correct description of the situation can only be achieved if words are arranged in a certain way in sentences.
Simple sentences and their classification
Simple English sentences are divided into two types - common and common. The first ones consist only of a subject and a predicate. In this case, it is important that the subject is in first place and the predicate in second. For example: “The bus stopped.”
The second type of simple sentences, in addition to the main members, involves the inclusion of secondary ones (addition, definition, circumstance). Constructing sentences in English using minor members allows you to clarify the main situation. For example: “The yellow bus stopped at the station.” IN in this case the first minor member of the sentence (yellow) acts as a definition and explains the subject (the bus), and the second is an adverbial circumstance (at the station) and refers to the predicate (stopped).
construction scheme
As mentioned above, the endings in English words remain unchanged, so each word must be in the strictly designated place for it (this is called direct word order). Otherwise, the essence of the sentence will be distorted, and the person who reads it will receive incorrect, sometimes even opposite, information. And if in Russian we can say: “I went to the cinema yesterday,” “I went to the cinema yesterday,” or “Yesterday I went to the cinema,” then the existing sentence patterns in English do not allow this.
Whereas in Russian the essence of the situation will be clear, even if the words are swapped, in English everything is different. For example, regardless of whether we say in Russian “Jack hit Jim” or “Jim hit Jack,” the information will be received correctly. But in English, two sentences such as “Jack hit Jim” and “Jim hit Jack” have the opposite meaning. The first translates to "Jack hit Jim" and the second to "Jim hit Jack." To avoid such misunderstandings, it is necessary to construct sentences in English according to the following scheme: put the subject in first place, the predicate in second, the complement in third, and the adverbial in fourth. For example: “We do our work with pleasure.” It is also acceptable to place adverbs of place and time before the subject, for example: “At the moment I am cooking dinner.”
Negative sentences with not
Negative sentences in English have the following structure:
- Subject.
- The beginning of the predicate.
- Negative particle not.
- The ending of the predicate.
- The nominal part of the predicate.
Examples include the following negative sentences in English: “I'm not reading the book” or “I have not seen Kelly in a while.” I haven't seen Kelly in a while."
If in negative sentences verbs are used in Present Simple or Past Simple, then they are reduced to the form “do/does/did + main form”. For example, “I do not like mice,” “She does not need help,” or “Steven did not look tired.”
Negative sentences using negative words
In English, negative type can be expressed not only using the particle not, but also in another way. It's about about constructing a construction containing negative words, which include the following: nobody (nobody), never (never), nothing (nothing), none (nothing), nowhere (nowhere).
For example: “Nobody wanted to bring chair.” It is worth noting that in English one sentence cannot contain both the particle not and a negative word. Thus, the phrase “I know nothing” is translated into English as “I know nothing” and in no case “I do not know nothing.”
Interrogative sentences
Interrogative sentences can be presented in the form of general and special questions. Thus, general questions require a “yes/no” answer. For example: “Did you like the book?” (“Did you like the book?”) or “Have you ever been in the Paris?” (“Have you ever been to Paris?”). As for special questions, it may be necessary to compose sentences in English of this type when it is necessary to obtain more specific information on asked question- color, time, name, object, distance, etc. For example: “What is your favorite movie?” (“What’s your favorite movie?”) or “How long is the flight to Prague?” (“How long is the flight to Prague?”).
In the case of expressing the predicate with the verb to have or to be, general questions are constructed as follows: first the predicate, and then the subject. In the case when the predicate includes a modal or it is placed before the subject. In the case of expressing the predicate with a verb in the Present or Past Simple, you must use do/does or did.
As for the word order in constructing a special question, it is the same as in general, except that at the beginning of the sentence there must be a question word: who (who), when (when), what (what), how long ( how long), where (where), how (how).
Imperative sentences
When considering the types of sentences in English, one cannot fail to mention imperative sentences. They are necessary to express a request, encouragement to take any action, command, as well as a prohibition when it comes to the negative form.
An imperative sentence assumes a direct word order, but the verb is placed first: “Give me my pen, please” (“Give me my pen, please”). In some cases, this construction may consist of only one verb: “Run!” (Run!). Wanting to soften an order or turn it into a request, the speaker can use would you, will you or won’t you, placing them at the end of the sentence.
Exclamatory sentences
The construction of sentences in English of the exclamatory type is carried out according to the same scheme as the usual one, however, they should be pronounced emotionally, and on the letter at the end of such a construction it is always written. For example, “You are very beautiful!” (“You are very beautiful!”) or “I’m so happy!” ("I'm so happy!").
In cases where an exclamatory sentence requires additional reinforcement, you can use the question words what and how. For example, “What a big house it is!” ("Which big house!”), “What a sad movie!” (“What a sad movie!”) or “How well Matt can dance!” (“Matt dances so well!”). It is worth noting that when using a singular subject, the indefinite article a or an is required.
Complex sentences: definition and classification
In addition to simple sentences, there are also complex ones, which are formed by combining the first ones. Complex and complex sentences are types of sentences in English that have a complex structure. The difference between them is that the former are a construction consisting of two independent simple sentences, while the latter are a main clause and one or more dependent clauses.
Compound sentences are built using words such as and, or, but, for, yet. As for unions that are used for formation, they are divided into the following groups:
- causes/effects: since (since), because (because), therefore (for this reason, therefore), so (therefore, so);
- time: before (before, before), while (while), after (after), when (when);
- others: although (despite the fact that), if (if), though (though), unless (if only).
In all simple sentences that make up complex ones, direct order must be maintained. There are sentences in English great amount, but regardless of their type, the basic rule of construction must be observed.
Types of Conditional Sentences
In English they are used to describe a situation with various characteristics. They are able to accept different shape, but in most cases the following construction is used: “If Condition, (then) Statement” (If Condition, (then) Statement). For example, “If it is warm, many people prefer to go to the park” (“If it is warm, many people prefer to go to the park”), “If you buy this dress, I will give you free gloves” (“If you buy this dress, I'll give you free gloves").
Conditional sentences in English are divided into three types. The first is used to denote real, feasible conditions relating to any of the times (future, present, past). To construct such a construction, a verb is used in its main sentence in the future form, and in a subordinate clause - in the present form.
The second describes unrealistic conditions that relate to the future or present. To create such a sentence, the main part uses the verb should or would and the verb in the base form without the particle to, and in the subordinate part - were for the verb to be or the Past Simple form for all the rest.
And the third covers unfulfilled conditions in the past. The main part of the sentence is constructed using the verb should/would and a verb in the present tense, and the subordinate part is constructed using a verb in the Past Perfect form.
When learning a foreign language, it is not enough to memorize new vocabulary. The next important step is to turn the learned words into meaningful statements. In order for them to convey to the listener the information that the speaker wants to convey, it is necessary to correctly approach the composition of sentences in English. One of the existing problems seems to be the order of words in English statements, which often has nothing in common in their Russian counterparts - translations. In English, word order is not free, or, to put it even more precisely, it is quite strictly fixed.
Placing any member of a sentence in the first place has little effect on the overall meaning of an English statement, but introduces a certain new emphasis into it - highlighting the main idea that the speaker plans to convey to others. The order of the members of an English sentence is fixed and dictated by very specific rules. Schematically, a common English sentence can be represented as follows (naturally, in real speech, some members can easily be absent; their number in the example is not regulated by anything, except for the intention of showing their location):
- circumstance (= adverb) - (modifier = adjective) + (subject = noun, pronoun) – predicate (= verb) – object (object = pronoun, noun) – circumstance (= adverb), for example: That autumn the above mentioned person hunted ducks very often. - That autumn the above-mentioned man hunted ducks very often.
English sentences are two-part in nature, which means that a subject and a predicate are always present in them. Russian monosyllabic sentences are not applicable to English. English adverbials can take place both at the very beginning and at the very end of a sentence. Subjects and objects can be preceded by definitions. If there is an object in a sentence, it usually follows directly after the predicate, for example:
- It`s windy. - It's windy. (Here, in English version we have subject + predicate).
- It was getting colder. – It was getting colder. (In the English version, subject + predicate).
- It`s cold and sunny today. – It’s cold and sunny today. (In the English version, subject + 2 predicates + temporary circumstance).
- Jane bought a beautiful picture there. – Jane bought a beautiful painting there. (In the English version, subject + predicate + object with a definition + adverbial place).
- The old hunter lived alone. “The old hunter lived alone. (In the English version we have definition + subject + predicate + circumstance of the manner of action).
If there are several objects in an English sentence, then they will be arranged in a certain order: first the indirect object (to whom? what?), then the direct object (what? whom?) and only then the prepositional object (how? for what? etc. .), For example:
- His cousin brought them some big shells from the beach. - His cousin I brought them several large shells from the beach. (Here the subject with the attribute “my cousin” precedes the predicate “brought”, and after the predicate first comes the indirect object “them”, and then the direct object with the attribute “some big shells”, and then the adverbial “from the beach” , which can just as easily be placed at the very beginning of the sentence: From the beach his cousin brought them some big shells).
- Elisabeth gave her colleagues some interesting magazines for reading. – Elizabeth gave her colleagues several interesting magazines read. (Here, after the predicate “gave”, an indirect object with the definition “her colleagues” follows each other, then a direct object with the definition “some interesting magazines” and then the prepositional object “for reading”).
The composition of narrative sentences was discussed above. If the statement contains any question, then it will be constructed somewhat differently. At the beginning of interrogative sentences, corresponding interrogative words, as well as auxiliary verbs, may appear. In questions different types The word order will also be different.
IN general issues the auxiliary verb comes first, and then the word order is maintained, as in a regular narrative statement. The verb "be" to form the interrogative form auxiliary verb does not require, for example:
- Is Barbara from Berlin? - Yes, she is. – Barbara from Berlin? - Yes.
- Is her neighbor a pediatrician? - No, he is not. – Is her neighbor a pediatrician? - No.
- Did he drink his tea? – Yes, he did. – Did he drink his tea? - Yes.
- Does Ann study Spanish? – No, she does not. – Anne studies Spanish? - No.
In special English questions, the main purpose is to find out certain details or particulars about something. Such questions are composed using special question words or groups of words, from which it becomes clear which member of the sentence is being asked. If the question word refers to the subject of the statement, then the word order remains exactly the same as in a similar sentence of a narrative nature, for example:
- Where is Barbara from? – Where is Barbara from?
- What is her neighbor? – Who is her neighbor by profession?
- What did Robert drink? – What did Robert drink?
- Who studies Spanish? – Who studies Spanish? (Here we have a question for the subject).
- How long were you there? – How long were you there?
- How many books did John read? – How many books has John read?
- How old is Mary? – How old is Mary?
- Whom have your children seen in the garden? – Who did your children see in the garden?
- What color is Elisabeth`s new car? – What color is Elizabeth’s new car?
IN alternative issues the opponent is asked to make a certain choice. The order of words in them is the same as in general questions, for example:
- Is Elisabeth`s new car yellow or green ? – Is Elizabeth’s new car yellow or green?
- Are they going to buy apples or pears? – Are they going to buy apples or pears?
The last type English questions are dividing. Their main part is an affirmation or denial, and in the second part the question itself is asked directly, the structure of which necessarily contains an auxiliary verb and a pronoun. If in the first part we have a statement, then in the second there appears an additional particle not. If there is negation in the first part, then not is absent in the second part. Such questions are used when you want to get confirmation from your interlocutor of the thoughts being expressed, for example.
In English, as in Russian, there are five categories of sentences, the rules of construction of which must be accurately known in order to successfully communicate in the language.
- Simple sentence - complex sentence
- Declarative sentence - interrogative sentence - exclamatory sentence
Simple sentence in English
Simple sentences are those sentences in which there is only one actor(subject) and one action (predicate). With simple sentences, things are not so simple. You need to know the fixed word order - unfortunately, in English it is strict and it is highly undesirable to deviate from it.
Applies to English offer a basic rule consisting of two points:
1. The subject comes first, the predicate comes second, and then comes everything else.
Schematically, this can be depicted as follows:
Table 1. Word order in an English sentence
|
SUBJECT |
PREDICATE |
REST OF THE PROPOSAL |
|
to work every day. |
||
The following note should be made about this table: You can put a definition BEFORE the subject. And second: this scheme is used for affirmative English sentences, i.e. those with a period at the end.
2. An English sentence ALWAYS has a predicate, i.e. verb!
Even if you don’t hear this verb in the Russian translation of this sentence. For example: There are many wolves in the forest. (there is not a single verb here, although this sentence can be remade for a convenient translation: “There are many wolves in the forest.” This version already has a verb - there are). - There are many wolves in the forest.
Difficult sentence
We call a complex sentence a sentence made up of several simple sentences. As a rule, there are no difficulties with complex sentences, unless it is a complex sentence (that is, a sentence with a subordinate clause).
If you have already graduated from school a long time ago, then the term “subordinate clauses” most likely will not mean anything to you. Therefore, let’s refresh your memory: there are simple sentences (in which there is one predicate/verb), and there are complex sentences (they consist of several simple ones). In turn, complex sentences are divided into compound sentences (in which the conjunction “and” can be placed between several simple sentences) and complex sentences (in them from one simple sentence to another you can ask the question “which one?” Why? Where? When? under what condition? how? etc.”) And subordinate clauses are precisely those simple ones to which we give a question. They are also called dependent in another way. The structure of a complex sentence looks like this:
As can be seen from the diagram, various conjunctions serve as a link between the main and dependent clauses: where, when, which, whose, because, if, etc.
This all seems so distant and incomprehensible, but in fact we use complex sentences much more often than we ourselves notice. So, the following are often used as unions:
Who used in relation to persons (=who):
I'll call George, who is good at computers.
Which refers to inanimate objects, animals, as well as to the main sentence as a whole (=which):
Don’t buy the lipstick which we saw yesterday.
She has already finished the report which will allow her a pay rise.
That refers to both animate and inanimate objects (=which):
The man that we met yesterday is my ex.
The car that Tim bought used to be mine.
Table 2. English words connectors of complex sentences
It is important to use correct punctuation (punctuation) in complex sentences.
The structure of complex sentences generally follows two possible patterns.
Main clause + conjunction + Subordinate clause
Subordinate clause + , + Main clause
Alan couldn’t come to the meeting as he was ill.
Things get more complicated if the subordinate clause begins with who, which, or where. Sometimes a comma is needed, sometimes not - it depends on how IMPORTANT this subordinate clause is for the meaning, whether emphasis is placed on it.
Main clause + conjunction + Significant subordinate clause
The driver didn’t remember the place where he had left the car.
The subordinate clause EXPLAINS the word place. Without this subordinate clause, the sentence will lose meaning, so it is meaningful. This means that there is no need for a comma in front of it - it cannot be separated in any way from the main sentence.
Main clause + , + Minor subordinate clause
The driver didn’t remember the parking lot in his neighborhood, where only expensive cars are parked.
The main sentence already contains specification - in his neighborhood. Therefore, the subordinate clause is DESCRIPTIVE, it does not provide important information. This means that it can be separated from the main clause by a comma.
Also, subordinate clauses can interrupt the main thing, “intervene” into it. In this case, we highlight or not highlight with commas on both sides.
The driver didn’t remember the place where he had left the car well.
The driver didn’t remember the parking lot in his neighborhood, where only expensive cars are parked, well.
How to make sentences in English
Declarative sentence
The classification into declarative, interrogative and exclamatory sentences is made based on punctuation marks. At the end of declarative sentences we put a period, at the end of interrogative sentences we put a question mark, at the end of exclamatory sentences we put an exclamation mark. However, they differ not only in punctuation, but also in word order. In declarative sentences, the word order is direct - we talked about them above.
Interrogative sentence
So, there are 2 basic types of questions: general and. To the first we answer “yes” or “no”, and to the second we answer something specific, special (depending on what is asked in the question itself). Remember that the word order in any English sentence is FIXED, and this also applies to questions.
0 place- QUESTION WORD
- What - what? Which?
- Who - who?
- Who(m) - to whom? by whom?
- Where - where? Where?
- When - when?
- Why - why?
- How - how?
- How much (many) - how much?
- Which - which?
- What - which one?
- Whose - whose?
1 place- AUXILIARY
- is/are/am
- do / does / did
- will / would / shall
- have / has
- can/could
- may/might
- ought
- should
2nd place- SUBJECT
3rd place- BASIC (SEMINAL) VERB
4th place- REST OF THE WORDS
There are also several comments to this structure:
NOTE 1. How to choose an auxiliary verb? Very simply: the auxiliary verb is the one that appears first in the original sentence. For example:
- Danny is a worker ---> is
- Anna will drive ---> will
- They have finished the report ---> have
Therefore, to ask a question, you just need to rearrange the subject and predicate.
What to do if there is no auxiliary verb? For example: We visited the museum. Here we only have the main verb - visited. Therefore, when there is no visible auxiliary verb, it is do / does / did, depending on the tense. In our case it is did, since the verb is in .
NOTE 2. The main (semantic) verb, when you ask a question, is pure, that is, without any endings, in the initial form.
NOTE 3. How to understand 0 place? This position in a question is called so because question words are only in special issues, but in general there are none. It is by the question word that you determine what to answer. For example:
Mother gave her son a tasty medicine yesterday because he was ill.
- Who? -Mother
- Whom? -son
- Whose son? - her
- What? - medicine
- What medicine? - tasty
- When? - yesterday
- Why? - because he was ill
In general questions (those to which you answer “yes” or “no”) there is no question word, that is, an auxiliary verb comes immediately.
Exclamatory sentence
As a rule, exclamatory sentences begin with what (what the..., which...) or how (how...). Here, too, you need to be careful with the word order.
What..!
Table 3. Word order of English exclamatory sentences
How..!
In exclamations, it is customary to put either an adjective or an adverb after how.
How sweet! - How nice!
How lovely! - How funny!
Sometimes you can find a more detailed construction: How + adjective/adverb + subject + predicate.
How interesting it was to hear her story!
How wonderful it is to see you!
How often in exams, in various tests, we are faced with the need to correctly compose a phrase from a set of words. If in Russian it makes almost no difference whether you start a sentence with a subject or a predicate, then in English there are certain principles, the observance of which is mandatory. A correctly organized structure of an utterance is the key to competent speech.
From the first days of learning English, you need to remember the strict sentence structure and word order. A clear sequence makes it easier to understand and hear speech. In written language, language is presented not as a set of words, but as a structured statement.
Word order in an English sentence
Believe me, having mastered the basics of interaction between the members of a sentence, you can confidently say that soon you will be able to speak. Yes, at first with simple phrases of two or three words, but gradually expand your vocabulary and diversify your speech. So, the rules of construction:
Subject + predicate + object + adverbial
Subject + predicate + object + adverbal modifier
The boy showed the mark-book yesterday. (The boy showed the diary yesterday)
subject tale additional the circumstances
Well, that's not all. One phrase may contain several circumstances or additions. How to put everything in its place not only from the lexical side, but also from the grammatical side? Let's look at an example:
- The construction of sentences in English is based on the fact that if there are several additions, then they alternate as follows:
indirect add. (to whom?) + direct (what) + with preposition (to whom?)
She wrote her friend a letter. But: She wrote a letter to her friend. — She wrote a letter to her friend. = She wrote a letter to her friend. (there is no grammatical difference in Russian)
As can be seen from the example, if an indirect object is without a preposition, then it precedes the direct one, and if a preposition is used, it comes after it.
- According to the word order in an English sentence, circumstances are arranged like this:
mode of action (goal, reason) (how?) + place (where? where?) + time (when?)
He was running quickly to his house at 6 o’clock yesterday. — He ran home quickly at 6 o'clock yesterday.
If there is a need to logically highlight a circumstance of place or time, then it can be brought to the fore.
In Moscow he visited many museums last year. — In Moscow he visited many museums last year.
Last year he visited many museums in Moscow. — Last year he visited many museums in Moscow.
- There is also such a member of the sentence as definition. This free bird always stands in front of the word to which it refers. Sometimes one definition is not enough to fully characterize a subject, so it is necessary to use several. How, what and where to put it?
- Article or possessive pronoun(or noun in Possessive Case), numerals + adjectives: my beautiful yellow hat , Tom's ugly big old Italian hunting boots, the first difficult examination question.
- Adjectives in the following order: Emotional attitude → fact: a nice sunny day - a beautiful sunny day.
- Facts, if there are several of them, are arranged in the following sequence: size → age → color → where from → from what. You won’t necessarily find all the characteristics in a sentence, these can be two or three adjectives (adjectives are most often used as definitions), which means that by skipping one of the elements of the diagram, you put everything in the right order. Let's look at examples: a nice small black plastic bag, a new black plastic bag.
A famous Scottish poet was born in 1750. - characterizes the subject - emotion. coloring + where ( Famous poet born 1750)
So, when faced with the question, how to make sentences in English, look at every word. First of all, it is necessary to find the main members (who performs the action, what, or on what, then what happens, the action itself) and put them in first place. Then, the minor members are in accordance with the scheme.
But I would also really like to note questions that are not exactly a violation, but a slight change in order. Thus, the subject and predicate firmly hold their places and do not give them up to anyone, just like the adverbial and complement. But, an interrogative sentence can begin with an auxiliary verb, modal or with a special word.
Did he lives in Minsk? — Did he live in Minsk?
Do do you have a computer? - You have a computer?
Can will you take me to the museum? -Can you take me to the museum?
What kind of book are you reading now? - What book are you reading now?
Cases of violation of direct word order in an English sentence
Of course, not without difficulties! The above scheme most likely works for 80% of affirmative statements. But there are some features that are worth remembering.
A grammatical phenomenon such as inversion , turns everything upside down. What it is? In cases where the structure of a sentence in English is broken, the reverse order of the subject and predicate is noted. But there is a certain, limited set of such situations.
1. In units of speech with turnover there is / there are The subject comes after the predicate.
There is a round table in the middle of the room. — There is a round table in the middle of the room.
2. If the phrase begins from direct speech (with “”), and indirect follows it, the subject also changes places with the verb.
“I haven’t painted for ages”, said my friend. “I haven’t painted for ages,” said my friend.
3. In statements starting with "here", but only on condition that the subject is expressed by a noun. But, if in its place after here a pronoun is used, then the direct order is preserved.
Here are the gloves you are looking for. - These are the gloves you are looking for.
Here comes our teacher. - Here comes our teacher.
BUT: Here it is. - Here it is. Here he comes. - Here he comes.
4. If a sentence begins with adverbs or conjunctions such as never (never), rarely (rarely), little (little), in vain (in vain), scarcely (barely), not only (not only), hardly (barely), then there is an inversion. Most often, disruption of order is used to add emotional coloring to a statement, and these words, which are brought to the fore, strengthen and emphasize the meaning.
In vain doesshedye her hair — She dyes her hair in vain.
Never in his life has hegone abroad. — He had never traveled abroad in his life.
Seldom can he come to see us. “He can rarely visit us.”
5. In short remarks, for example, such as So did I, Neither do I (And I too).
Every morning I take a shower. - So do I. - I take a shower every morning. And me too.
She didn't read this book. — Neither did I. — She didn’t read this book. And me too.
Basically, in syntactic constructions everything is very specific. Having many rules and just as many exceptions, constructing statements is not difficult if you strictly follow the instructions. So, remember that composing sentences in English strictly follows a pattern. Follow it, and then you will succeed!
