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 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?
- 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 from (Famous poet born in 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.
In principle, everything is very specific in syntactic constructions. 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!
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 them you can put the conjunction “and” between several simple sentences) and complex sentences (in them from one simple sentence to another you can ask the question “which? 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, and also to the main clause in general (=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.
Structure complex sentences, as a rule, corresponds to two possible schemes.
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 the question is called so because there are question words only in special questions, but not in general ones. 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!
In order for your spoken and written English to be as literate as possible, you need to not only know a large number of words in this language, but also be able to arrange them into sentences, structure everything in such a way that your thoughts and message are clear to your interlocutors. Sentences are the basis of any text, so the ability to arrange them according to all the rules is very important for high-quality language proficiency.
Elements of an English sentence
A sentence consists of several members, but only two are constant - the subject and the predicate. They are also called principal members. Each member of an English sentence has its own place - the word order, unlike the Russian language, is strictly one. By violating it, the English phrase will lose all meaning.
Subject
The subject is in the form of a common case noun (as in the dictionary) in any number, in the form of a personal pronoun with a nominative case, as well as a numeral, infinitive and gerund. The subject always comes before the predicate and usually at the beginning of the sentence.
For nouns, the article may change or be completely absent - it all depends on what object or person is implied in the sentence.
Mouseare afraid of cat- The mouse is afraid of the cat;
Iam fond of music- I'm into music;
Fouris believed to be an unlucky number in Japan
- It is believed that four is an unlucky number in Japan;
To helpyou are my choice- Helping you is my choice;
Reading togood book raises my mood- Reading a good book lifts my mood.
Table of personal pronouns that can act as subjects:
Sometimes indefinite and negative pronouns can become the subject:
Predicate
The predicate is the main component of a sentence. With its help, we understand what time the described event is associated with. The predicate is placed after the subject - that is, in second place. It comes in the following types: verbal (the Verbal Predicate) and nominal ( the Nominal Predicate).
Verb predicatestands in personal form and serves as a determinant of action.
Example:
This manstudiesSpanish- This man is learning Spanish;
Samwill moveto another country- Sam will move to another country.
Wehave to stoplistening music- We must stop listening to music;
Juliacan runfaster- Julia can run faster;
Shestarted dancing- She started dancing;
A teacherfinished introducinghimself- The teacher finished introducing himself.
Nominal predicateshows the characteristics of an object or living creature. It cannot denote actions and consists of two components - a linking verb and a nominal part. The nominal part can consist of various parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, numerals, adjectives, infinitives, gerunds and participles.
Example:
Shewas a teacher- She was a teacher;
The cupis yours- The cup is yours;
This girlis nineteen- This girl is 19 years old;
The wallis black- The wall is black;
Him missionwas to helpshe has to cope with everything- His mission was to help her cope with everything;
Her greatest wishis flying- Her greatest desire is to fly;
The pastais boiled- The pasta is cooked.
The predicate can be formed not only from one verb, but also from two:
- Main verb . Denotes the action performed by the second main member. For example:He runs- He is running.
- Auxiliary . Distinguishes between times. If the tense form requires the presence of such a verb, then omitting it from the sentence is unacceptable. ForPresent Simple it will be do/does, For Past Perfect - had, and for Future Continuous - will be.
All those members of the sentence that are called minor will be listed below. Their task is to explain the main members of the sentence or other minor ones. Their peculiarity is that even without them the sentence will have a clear meaning, since these words do not form a grammatical center in it.
Addition
The object is placed after the predicate and is expressed by a noun and a pronoun. Such words answer any case questions, excluding the nominative. There are two types of addition:
- Direct object . Answers questions in the accusative case “who?”, “what?”;
- Indirect addition . Answers other questions: “what?”, “what?”, “to whom?” etc.
There are times when there are two objects in one sentence. In such cases, we first put the direct, and then the indirect.
Example:
I seea boy- I see a boy;
He is readinga magazine to the friend- He is reading a magazine to a friend;
I playthe computer game with him- I play a computer game with him.
Circumstance
This member of the sentence answers the questions “where?”, “why”, “when”, etc. and can denote a place, time, manner, or cause of an action. It is attached to the predicate and takes place either at the beginning of the sentence or at the end. Expressed by an adverb or a noun with a preposition.
Example:
My black dog lieson the window- My black dog is lying on the window;
TodayI saw her with my sister- Yesterday I saw her with my sister.
Definition
This member of the sentence answers the questions “which?” and “whose?” and describes the properties of the words before which it is placed (subject and object). The participle attribute is usually placed after these members of the sentence. The definition can be used in the form different parts speech: adjective, participle and participial phrase, numeral, noun in the possessive case, personal pronoun in the objective case and others.
Example:
Yesterday I had astrongtoothache- Yesterday I had a severe toothache;
Where are the goodsbought at the auction yesterday ? - Where are the goods bought yesterday at the auction?;
Her office is on thefirstfloor- Her office is on the first floor;
Sam founda lady'shat in the street- Sam found a woman's hat on the street;
There isn'tanywater left in the cup- There is no water left in the cup.
Structure and word order in a sentence in English
In Russian, the order of words in a sentence is exempt from rules, and the meaning of phrases does not change from rearranging members. In English, things are stricter about this: words can appear in two orders: direct and reverse. For clarity, let's look at a simple example:
I love you- I love you = I love you = I love you.
This phrase has three possible translations into Russian.
Note that in English there are three types of sentences, and each of them has its own order of members:
- Affirmative;
- Interrogative;
- Negative.
Constructing an affirmative sentence in English
This type of sentence has a direct order of members. It should look like this: first - the subject, then the predicate, and only then the complement with the circumstance. Sometimes, as mentioned above, the adverbial clause may occupy the beginning of a sentence. Don't forget that sometimes an auxiliary verb is added to the main verb, which is also part of the predicate - so the order will still remain straight.
Example:
Today I bought a dog set to my son - Today I bought my son a dog;
We'll go home after working- We will go home after work;
I have no idea how to learn to play the piano - I have no idea how to learn to play the piano.
Constructing a negative sentence in English
In such sentences, as in the previous version, the word order will be direct. But in order to mark this negation, we add the particle “not" (Not). This particle is necessarily adjacent to the auxiliary verb, which is required in such cases.
Example:
My girlfriend will not visit me in two days - My girlfriend will not visit me in two days;
Sam will not be there- Sam won't be there;
She is not reading at the moment - IN currently she doesn't read;
I was not aware of the situation in Ukraine - I didn’t know about the situation in Ukraine;
I haven’t done homework today yet - Today I haven’t done my homework yet.
Constructing an interrogative sentence in English
In Russian, sentences with questions differ from statements only in the intonation with which the speaker pronounces them. In the English version interrogative sentence a different word order is used - reverse. In it, the subject and predicate change places. But only part of the predicate is placed at the beginning - an auxiliary verb, the presence of which is mandatory here. The main verb is still located after the subject, like all other words. The only exception is that the circumstance cannot come at the beginning here.
Example:
Do you like this music?- Do you like this music?;
Have you been to Japan?-Have you been to Japan?
Sometimes such phrases include a question word - in this case, we put it at the beginning.
Example:
What do you think about our teacher? - What do you think about our teacher?;
When did he move to Russia?- When did he move to Russia?
There are also sentences with a question called a dividing question - and in this case you will have to abandon the standard, “correct” structuring. A sentence with a dividing question is created as follows: first - an affirmative or negative sentence, and then - a short question.
Example:
She is rather beautiful, isn’t she? - She's quite beautiful, isn't she?;
He studies Spanish, doesn't he?
- He's studying Spanish, isn't he?
Constructing short answers in English
In Russian speech, we can briefly answer “Yes” or “No” to many questions. The foreign language we are studying also has this opportunity, but with one difference - here you cannot answer simply “Yes” or “No”, since such a wording of the answer may seem unfriendly. Therefore, English people who want to give a short answer to a question add the subject and auxiliary verb used in the question.
Example:
ㄧ Has he visited the Kremlin?- Did he visit the Kremlin?
ㄧ Yes, he has- Yes;
ㄧ Do they work in the college?- Do they work at the college?
ㄧ No, they don't- No.
If the question asked of you contains the pronoun “you”, it is asked to you personally. The answer to such a question should be from yourself, and not from “you”.
Example:
ㄧ Do you like summer?- Do you like summer?
ㄧ Yes, I do- Yes.
ㄧ Will you write me?-Will you write to me?
ㄧ No, I won't- No.
Creating literate phrases in English is like a constructor - you just need to insert the necessary parts of the sentence. Try to formulate coherent texts in the target language more often, but not only in writing, but also orally, communicating with native speakers of the language you need or with people who, like you, are studying it.
The rules for constructing sentences in English are quite strict. Unlike the Russian language, there is a clear word order. If you know the basic structure of an English sentence, you can construct any phrase.
The members of a sentence in English, as in Russian, are divided into main and secondary.
The main members of a sentence are those that form the grammatical basis of the statement. Without them, the proposal will not make sense. The main members include the subject and the predicate.
(Who?) They (what did they do?) thought. - They thought.
Who?) The cat (what is he doing?) is walking. – The cat is going.
(What?) The apple (what will it do?) will fall. - The apple will fall.
Subject
As a rule, the subject is expressed by a noun or pronoun; it is the main character of the sentence, answering the questions “who?”, “what?”.
The noun is used in its standard dictionary form, singular or plural.
a product - products (product - products)
a magazine - magazines (magazine - magazines)
a university - universities (university - universities)
The article can be definite, indefinite or absent, depending on the implied object/person.
As for pronouns, personal pronouns are most often used as subjects in nominative case: I (I), we (we), you (you), he (he), she (she), it (it), they (they).
And also some indefinite and negative pronouns: someone/somebody, no one/nobody, everyone/everybody, something, nothing, everything, each (every).
In colloquial speech it can be replaced by this (this), that (that).
In an affirmative sentence, the subject comes at the beginning of the sentence before the predicate.
Predicate
This part of the sentence is expressed by a verb and is key when constructing sentences in English, because it shows at what time the action happened, is happening or will happen. The predicate answers the question “what to do?”
There can be two verbs in a predicate, an auxiliary and a semantic one.
An auxiliary verb is a verb that is used to express time. It does not have such a meaning in itself and is not translated into Russian in any way. However, his presence is necessary if the temporary form requires it.
For Present Simple - do / does
For Past Perfect - had
For Future Continuous - will be
A main or semantic verb is a verb that expresses an action performed by the subject.
Examples:
She runs. - She is running.
We went. - We are going.
I want to be there. - I want to be there.
The secondary members of a sentence are those that explain the main ones. Without them, the sentence will still make sense, since they are not the grammatical basis of the sentence. The secondary members include definition, addition and circumstance.
Definition
This member of the sentence answers the questions “which?” and “whose?” The definition stands next to the subject or object and describes its properties; it can be expressed in almost any part of speech.
In most cases the definition is expressed:
- Adjectives: nice (sweet), brave (brave).
- Participles: sold (sold), crying (crying).
- Participial phrases: made of plastic (made of plastic), laughing out loud (laughing loudly).
- Numerals: first (first), thirty (thirty).
- Nouns in the possessive case: Nick’s (Nick), Diana’s (Diana).
- Personal pronouns in the objective case: my (my), your (yours).
I see a beautiful girl next to him. - I see (which one?) beautiful girl next to him.
My red cat is lying on the windowsill. - (Whose?) My (what?) red cat is lying on the windowsill.
The attribute can come before either the subject or the object.
Her wavy hair is so beautiful. - Her wavy hair is so beautiful.
I have read a great book. - I read a wonderful book.
The definition expressed by the participial phrase usually comes after the subject and object.
Example: The girl singing on stage is my sister. - The girl singing on stage is my sister.
Addition
According to the construction of sentences in English, the object is located after the predicate. It can be expressed as a noun or pronoun, and answers case questions.
I see a girl with him. - I see (who?) a girl (with whom?) with him.
She is reading a book to the children. - She reads (what?) a book (to whom?) to the children.
There are two types of add-on:
- Direct - an object that does not answer questions in the accusative case “who?”, “what?”.
- Indirect - an addition that answers all other case questions “whom?”, “what?”, “to whom?”, “what?”.
If two types of object are used in one sentence, the direct one is used first and then the indirect one.
Example: I play a computer game with her. - I play a computer game with her.
Circumstance
This part of speech denotes place, cause, time, manner of action, etc. The adverbial clause is related to the predicate, but it can be used either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. The first option is less common. The circumstance tells “where?”, “when?”, “how?”, “why?” some action took place.
My red cat lies on the windowsill. - My red cat is lying (where?) on the windowsill.
Yesterday I saw her with him. - (When?) Yesterday I saw her with him.
He didn't behave differently. - He behaved (how?) differently.
The circumstance can be expressed:
- Adverb: today (today), slowly (slowly).
- Noun with a preposition: in Paris (in Paris), behind the scenes (behind the scenes).
How to write sentences in English - diagram
There are two basic word orders in English: direct and reverse. Direct is used in affirmative and negative sentences, reverse - in questions.
An English sentence differs from a Russian one in word order. In Russian it is free, in English it is strictly defined.
Example: Mother was cleaning the frame. - Mom washed the frame. / Mom washed the frame. / Mom washed the frame.
Structure of affirmative and negative sentences
The direct word order in an English sentence is as follows: the subject comes first, the predicate comes second, and the object comes third. In some cases, circumstance may come first. In an English sentence, the main verb may have an auxiliary verb.
Word order in an affirmative sentence:
1. Circumstance.
3. Predicate.
4. Addition (possibly with a definition).
5. Circumstance.
Yesterday I learned English words - Yesterday I learned English words.
Yesterday (adverbial) I (subject) learned (predicate) English words (addition with definition).
My little sister will visit me in three days - My little sister will visit me in three days.
My little sister (subject with attribute) will visit (predicate) me (object) in three days (adverbial).
The word order in a negative English sentence is also straight. In order to show negation, the particle not is used, which corresponds to the Russian particle “not”. Also, in a negative sentence there is always an auxiliary verb; not is attached to it.
Word order in a negative sentence:
1. Circumstance.
2. Subject (possibly with a definition).
3. Auxiliary verb + not.
4. Main verb.
5. Addition (possibly with a definition).
Yesterday I did not learn English words - Yesterday I did not learn English words.
Yesterday (adverbial) I (subject) did not (auxiliary verb + not) learn (main verb) English words (addition with definition).
My little sister will not visit me in three days - My little sister will not visit me in three days.
My little sister (subject with attribute) will not (auxiliary verb + not) visit (main verb) me (object) in three days (adverbial).
Structure of interrogative sentences
When a question is asked in Russian, sometimes it is only by the intonation of the speaker that one can determine that it is a question. When constructing English sentences in the form of a question, the subject and predicate are swapped - the reverse word order is used. But only part of the predicate is put in first place - the auxiliary verb, and the main verb still comes after the subject.
They live in the city. - They live in the city.
Do they live in the city? - Do they live in the city?
Word order in a question sentence:
Auxiliary.
Subject (possibly with a definition).
Main verb.
Addition (possibly with definition)
Circumstance.
Did I learn English words? - Did I learn English words?
Did (auxiliary verb) I (subject) learn (main verb) English words (object with definition)?
Will my little sister visit me in three days? - Will my little sister visit me in three days?
Will (auxiliary verb) my little sister (subject with modifier) visit (main verb) me (object) in three days (adverbial)?
When answering a question, you can use a short answer. But in English you can't just say Yes/No; such a response can be considered rude or unkind in some cases. A correctly constructed short answer must, in addition to Yes/No, contain a subject and an auxiliary verb.
Question: Do they work in the office? - Do they work in an office?
Answer: Yes, they do. / No, they don’t. - Yes. / No.
Question: Has he visited the British Museum? / Did he visit the British Museum?
Answer: Yes, he has. / No, he hasn’t. - Yes. / No.
Question: Will you call me? - Will you call me?
Answer: Yes, I will. / No, I won’t. - Yes. / No.
Question: Do you like tea? - Do you like tea?
Answer: Yes, I do. / No, I don’t. - Yes. / No.
Alternative grammatical structures of English sentences
The construction of English sentences may in some cases deviate from the norm. Modern English is extremely rich in grammatical structures. Some of them are not the norm in the generally accepted sense, but they reflect modern linguistic trends. These include contraction, ellipsis, insert, preface and tag.
Contraction - abbreviation
This phenomenon is quite common and understandable in most cases.
Examples: can’t = cannot, don’t = do not, I’m = I am
Abbreviations are considered a sign of conversational style, however, the above-mentioned forms are the norm, that is, their use does not contradict established grammatical rules. According to the rules of spoken English, when abbreviating, you can combine auxiliary verbs with modal verbs, even with a negative particle not.
Examples: Mike couldn't've known about it. - Mike couldn't have known about it. You shouldn't've gone there. - You shouldn't have gone there.
In colloquial speech, you can use an abbreviation when there is a subject expressed by several nouns.
Examples: Mark and Jenny’ve passed the exam. - Mark and Jenny passed the exam. The President and his team’re going to the summit. - The President and his team are going to the summit.
Ellipsis - omission
In colloquial speech, part of the traditional construction of an English sentence can be omitted, if the meaning of the statement is preserved. This phenomenon saves time and makes speech more fluent. Most often, words are missed at the beginning of a sentence or close to it.
You can omit:
- Auxiliary
Example: How are you doing? - How are you? Ellipsis: How are you doing? - How are you?
Example: I'm alright, thanks. - I'm fine, thank you. Ellipse: Alright, thanks. - OK, thank you.
- Subject + be/will
Example: I'll see you later. - See you later. Ellipsis: See you later. - See you later.
Example: I'm not sure about that. - I'm not sure about that. Ellipse: Not sure about that. - Not sure.
- Parts of the interrogative form (often with the verbs see, hear, think)
Example: Are you going with us? -Are you coming with us? Ellipsis: Going with us? -Are you coming with us?
Example: Would you like some lemonade? - Would you like some lemonade? Ellipsis: (Some) lemonade? - Lemonade?
Example: Do you want some water? - Do you want water? Ellipse: Want some water? - Do you want some water?
Example: Have you got a little time? - Do you have some time? Ellipsis: Got a little time? - Do you have time?
Example: Do you like it? - Do you like it? Ellipse: Like it? - Like?
- Noun
Example: I can't complain. - I can't complain. Ellipsis: Can’t complain. - Not complaining.
Example: I don't know. - I don't know. Ellipsis: Don’t know. - Don't know.
- Article
Example: The delivery man's here. - The courier is here. Ellipse: Delivery man’s here. - The courier is here.
- It and there
Example: It might get colder tomorrow. - It might get colder tomorrow. Ellipsis: Might get colder tomorrow. - It may get colder tomorrow.
Example: Is anybody there? - Is there anyone there? Ellipse: Anybody there? - Is there anyone?
The grammatical structures in Russian and English are not the same, so the difference between a complete and elliptical sentence is not always visible in the translation, which sometimes may not be literal.
It is also possible to omit words at the end of a sentence, especially in short answers.
Question: Will you be at the meeting? - Will you be at the meeting?
Answer: I should be. - Must.
Question: Are you singing at the gala concert? -Are you singing at the gala concert?
Answer: I hope to. - Hope.
Insert
Inserting a word or expression when constructing English sentences performs some communicative functions. For example, thinking out loud, focusing attention, agreement, etc. Insertion usually helps speech sound more smoothly and logically; it is not used in writing.
Examples of inserts:
- Well - an expression of doubt or pause before returning to the subject of a previous discussion.
Well, I haven’t been there yet. - Well, I haven't been there yet.
- Right - attracting attention, convincing that the listener agrees with what is being said.
Right. Can you switch off your phones, please? - So. Could you please turn off your phones?
You're OK, right? - You're okay, right?
- I mean - paraphrase, explanation, clarification.
I speak this language, I mean, English. - I speak this language, I mean English.
- You know - the belief that the listener understands what is being said.
I really liked French cuisine, you know, frogs’ legs and so on. - I really liked French cuisine, you know, frog legs and so on.
- OK - the belief that the listener agrees with what was said usually comes at the end of the statement.
See you at 5, OK? - See you at 5, okay?
- Now - change the topic or return to the previous topic.
That was interesting. Now, who wants to listen to another story? - It was interesting. Now, who wants to hear another story?
- Like - pause, indicating that the statement is not completed and continues Additional Information on this topic.
I didn’t join them because it was, like, dangerous. - I didn’t go with them, because it was, well, dangerous.
Insertions can be used not only by the speaker, but also by the listener for one purpose or another.
Question: There's been another bank robbery. - There was another bank robbery.
Answer: Really? - Is it true?
(insert used to show interest to the speaker)
Question: I'm sick and tired of his behavior. - I'm fed up with his behavior.
Answer: Uh huh. - Well, yes.
(insert used by the listener to show tolerance, understanding of what his interlocutor is saying)
Preface and tag - introduction and tag
Preface - an introductory word or phrase. Tag - the word (phrase) following the main statement. Both phenomena are used to make sure that the listener is following your train of thought and understands what you are talking about.
Example with an introductory phrase: That night club, what’s it called? - That nightclub, what is it called?
Example with tag: What is she doing, that girl? - What is she doing, that girl?
An introductory phrase or word can also be used to introduce a new topic.
Example: Ireland, what a lovely country it is! - Ireland, what a wonderful country!
The order of words in a sentence plays a more important role important role for English than for Russian. This is explained by the fact that in the Russian language there are a huge number of prefixes, suffixes, endings that indicate the functions of each word in a sentence and the relationships between them, so the position of words is more or less free.
In English, the relationship between words and their role is expressed through their order in the sentence. Therefore, it is necessary to know the place of each member (component) in the sentence, not to confuse them and not to change places (especially the subject and object), since this changes the meaning of the sentence.
- Russian language
- Jane watched this film last Sunday.
- Jane watched this film last Sunday. (rearranging the subject and object does not change the meaning of the sentence)
- English language
- Jane watched this movie last Sunday. – Jane watched this film last Sunday.
- This movie watched Jane last Sunday. – This film followed Jane last Sunday.
English sentences can be with direct And indirect word order.
Direct word order
Direct Word Order(direct word order) in English is used in declarative sentences (affirmative or negative). In literal word order, the main thing is that the subject comes before the predicate part.
At direct word order, basically, the following order of sentence members is observed:
- 1. The Subject - subject (Who? What?)
- 2. The Predicate – predicate (What does it do? What state is it in? Who or what is it?)
- 3. Object – addition (Whom? To whom? By whom?)
- 4. Adverbial Modifier – circumstance (When? Where? How?)
- I sent you a letter yesterday.– I sent you a letter yesterday.
- They won't go with us to the party tomorrow. They won't go to the party with us tomorrow.
- Didn’t you go to the cinema yesterday?– Didn’t you go to the cinema yesterday?
- Would you bring me some tea, please?– Could you bring me some tea, please?
- Is Francis working in his room at the moment?– Francis is working in his office now?
However, if the predicate is expressed by a verb to be(to be) or to have(to have), then they come before the subject. In modern English the semantic verb to have more often used with an auxiliary verb do.
- Have you a pen?- Do you have a pen?
- Do you have a pen?- Do you have a pen?
- Is she at home now?– Is she at home now?
Indirect word order also used in sentences starting with there(constructions), where there acts as an introduction or formal subject.
- There is nothing funny in what I say.“There’s nothing funny in what I say.”
- There worked a lot of people for that plant.“A lot of people worked at that factory.
- There plays Jane with her son in the garden.– Jane is playing in the garden with her son.
Indirect word order used in sentences starting with the word here(Here). But if the subject is expressed by a pronoun, then it is used direct word order.
- Here is your teddy.- Here's your bear.
- Here comes my sister Monica.- Here comes my sister Monica.
- Here is the house where Jack lives. This is the house where Jack lives.
- Here he is!- Here he is!
- Here we go!- Let's start! Go!
Indirect word order used in the second part of complex sentences after so(as well as neither(also not). In this case, the dependent clause uses the same auxiliary verb as the main clause.
- Jack didn’t know how to repair that broken car, neither did we .– Jack didn’t know how to fix it broken car, we didn't know either.
- Most of French are good at cooking and so are you, right?– Most French cook well, and you are one of them, aren’t you?
Indirect word order also used in simple exclamatory sentences expressing a wish.
- Be it so!- Let it be so!
- May you never be sad!- May you never be sad!
- May all your wishes come true!– I wish that all your wishes come true!
Also indirect word order used for expressiveness and emphasizing a certain part of a sentence. It depends not on the structure of the sentence itself, but more on author's wishes. This often happens when a circumstance is placed at the beginning of a sentence.
- Silently and attentively did the man listen to the priest.– The man listened silently and attentively to the preacher.
- In the dark wood with no paths stood and shouted two boys.– In a dark forest, without a single path, two boys stood and shouted.
Indirect word order can be used if there are adverbials at the beginning of the sentence in vain(in vain) never(never), little(not at all), expressing a negative meaning, as well as words only(only), hardly(hardly), no sooner(immediately after), etc. In this case, you should use an auxiliary verb do, if the predicate is not expressed by an auxiliary or modal verb.
- In vain we were trying to find Mary in the wood.“We tried in vain to find Mary in the forest.
- Never before have I seen such a beautiful park.“I have never seen such a beautiful park before.”
- Little does he think that he doesn’t need our help.“He doesn’t think he needs our help at all.”
Indirect word order used after words so(So), thus(Thus), now(now, then), then(then, after), which come at the beginning of a sentence. If the subject is expressed by a pronoun, then use direct word order.
- Now was the time to attack.“It was time to attack.”
- Thus spoke Mr. Jameson standing near the door.- So spoke Mr. Jameson, standing at the door.
- So he spent his holidays in Paris.- So he spent his holiday in Paris.
Indirect word order can be used after adverbs indicating direction, for example, in, out, down, away, up, if they come at the beginning of a sentence.
- Away wounded children.- The children ran away.
- Down fell Peter.– Peter fell backwards.
- Up flew Kate's baloon.– Kate’s ball flew up.
If the subject is expressed by a pronoun, then use direct word order.
- I fell down.- I fell.
- It flew away.- It flew away.
Indirect word order also used in conditional sentences without conjunctions, if the predicate is expressed by verbs was, were, had, could or should. In this case, the sentences sound more emotional.
- Even was Ann starving, she would never ask for money. Even if Anne was starving, she would never ask for money.
- I would have felt better, had I stayed at home instead of going to school.“I would feel better if I stayed at home instead of going to school.”
- Jack wouldn't take a taxi at night to go home, could he stay at our place.“Jack wouldn’t have called a taxi in the evening to go home if he had stayed with us.”
Place of an object in a sentence
- He will call you soon.- He'll call you soon.
- I bought these flowers for you.– I bought these flowers for you.
- My mom likes to give some advice.– My mother likes to give advice.
However, in exclamatory sentences a direct object can appear at the beginning of a sentence. In this case it is used direct word order.
- What a nice day we have today!– What a wonderful day we have today!
- What a lady I met yesterday!– What a beautiful lady I met yesterday!
Sometimes a direct object can be placed at the end of a sentence when it is separated from the predicate by other members of the sentence (for example, by a circumstance). This is done in order to emphasize or highlight the addition in a special way.
- Matt saw in the morning paper his own article. Matt saw his own article in the morning newspaper.
- She took from her bag and gave John a big chocolate bar.“She took it out of her bag and gave John a large chocolate bar.
- I had in my head a lot of disturbing and unpleasant thoughts.“I had a lot of disturbing and unpleasant thoughts spinning in my head.
The indirect prepositional object can sometimes be found at the beginning of sentences also for greater emphasis. This is typical for spoken English.
- In God we trust.- In god we trust.
- To Kate I send all my letters.– I send all my letters to Kate.
- For Mark it wasn’t a big problem.– For Mark it was not a big problem.
Sometimes after indirect prepositional object can be used at the beginning of a sentence inversion or indirect word order (predicate before subject), often in fiction.
- For this lady were written all my poems.– All my poems were written for this lady.
- To this circumstance may be attributed to the fact that I have never met that man.– The fact that I have never met this person may be related to these circumstances.
Place of definition in a sentence
- The only way possible is to tell the truth.– The only possible way is to tell the truth.
- This story is the most interesting thing imaginable.– This story is the most interesting thing that could be invented.
- The only person visible was the soldier near the castle’s gates.– The only person who could be seen was the soldier at the castle gate.
In some set expressions, the adjective definition always comes after the noun.
- wealth untold- untold riches
- from times immemorial- since time immemorial
- a poet laureate– Poet Laureate
- generations unborn- future generations
- court martial– court-martial
- sum total- total amount
- four years running- four years in a row
- the first person singular– first person singular
- the second person plural– second person plural
Definitions proper in meaning " actually, as such" And present in meaning " present” come after the noun they refer to.
- This book tells us about art proper.– This book tells us about art as such.
- All the people present clapped when the actor appeared on the stage.– Everyone present clapped when the actor appeared on stage.
Definitions, expressed as a cardinal number, indicating the series number or place of the item, always come after a noun. In this case, articles are not used.
- The poem I like is on page ten.– The verse that I like is on page ten.
- I am looking for room three zero five.- I'm looking for room number 305.
- To go to the center you should take train four.– To go to the center, you need to take the fourth tram.
Definitions expressed by adjectives come after indefinite and negative pronouns in a sentence.
- I want to eat something sweet.– I want to eat something sweet.
- There is nothing funny in my words.- There is nothing funny in my words.
- You never do anything useful.-You never do anything useful.
Often definitions expressed by an adjective, especially if there are several of them, are placed after the word they refer to in order to emphasize and highlight them. Such definitions are separated from the word being defined by a comma.
- Jack tired and pale, fell on the sofa.– Jack, tired and pale, collapsed on the sofa.
- There stood a girl, small, cute and cheerful.“There was a girl standing there, small, sweet and joyful.
- I looked in her eyes, large, blue and beautiful.“I looked into her eyes, big, blue and beautiful.
Place of circumstance in a sentence
- “Leave me alone!” Janice shouted loudly.- "Leave me alone!" - Janice shouted loudly.
If the predicate is expressed transitive verb, then such a circumstance is placed after the direct object.
- Kate read the contract attentively and then signed it.– Kate read the contract carefully and then signed it.
If the predicate has a prepositional object, then circumstance of the course of action is put between them (after the predicate and before the prepositional object).
- Charles asked politely for a cup of tea and some sugar.– Charles politely asked for a cup of tea and some sugar.
Circumstance of degree always comes before the predicate. If this compound predicate, the adverbial adverb is placed after the auxiliary verb.
- We completely agree with you.– We completely agree with you.
- I am quite tired at the moment.– I feel quite tired now.
- We have almost finished our homework.– We have almost finished our homework.
Circumstance of degree enough(enough) comes after the adjective it refers to. If a circumstance refers to a noun, then it can appear either before or after it.
- My sister is clever enough but really lazy.– My sister is quite smart, but very lazy.
- I have enough money, don't worry.- I have enough money, don’t worry.
- We have time enough to rest a bit.– We have enough time to rest.
