| Home |
 |
Sentence Grammar |
|
Basic Sentence Patterns |
|
Meaning in an English sentence is conveyed not only by the words but also by the arrangement, or pattern, of the words.
There are five basic sentence patterns in English.
One pattern consists of a subject followed by a verb and a direct objectA noun or pronoun that receives the action of a transitive verb.
, as in the following examples:
I fed the cat.
subject = I
verb = fed
direct object = the cat
Captain Rena Morgan piloted our sightseeing helicopter flight.
Hundreds of small and medium-sized lakes dotted the rural landscape.
The meaning of a sentence in this pattern is that the subject did something to something or someone else. A person, place, or thing acted in a certain way, and had a certain effect on another person, place, or thing.
This pattern is especially effective in showing cause-and-effect relationships, as in the following examples:
The storm caused widespread flooding in low-lying areas.
Low-cost, round-trip airfares have produced a sharp increase in ticket sales to the West Coast.
The writer’s glowing description of the charming town enticed tourists from all over the world.
 |
|
 |
|
|
Which of the following sentences is in the subject-verb-direct object pattern? |
| Yes. This sentence is in the subject-verb-direct object pattern. The sentence shows that the subject, an influx of tourists, has had a certain effect on the direct object, the complexion of the small, sleepy village. It has changed it. |
| No. This sentence does not fit the subject-verb-direct object pattern because it does not have a direct object. The words exciting and risky are adjectives. They are the subject complements of the verb sounds. |
|