Sentences

by Misty Wilson
Student, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 1998

Just as there are formulas in geometry and chemistry, there are formulas in English grammar. Linguists, people who study language, came up with patterns, or formulas, that make up the skeletal structure of most sentences in the English language. Understanding the structure of sentences enhances one's ability to understand English grammar. You may think it will be difficult for you to learn and understand structures of sentences, but the task can be accomplished. In their book, Understanding English Grammar, Martha Kolln and Robert Funk describe ten sentence patterns that make the task easier.

The first step in learning the ten sentence patterns is recalling two basic parts of a sentence, the subject and the predicate. Remember that the subject is usually who or what the sentence is about. What is said about that subject is the predicate. Two terms to remember are noun phrase and verb phrase. The noun phrase functions as the subject and the verb phrase functions as the predicate. Look at this sentence: Class starts at 11:30. We know that "class" is the subject. Therefore, "class" is also the noun phrase. Can you find the verb phrase? Remember that the verb phrase is made up of the predicating verb along with its modifiers and complements. The verb phrase is "starts at 11:30."

Another important factor in remembering the patterns is knowing that the verb is the central slot in the sentence. The variations in the ten sentence patterns are in the predicate, or verb phrase. Therefore, you can tell what the pattern of a sentence is by looking at its verb phrase. The four groups of the ten sentence patterns are the be patterns, the linking verb patterns, the intransitive verb pattern, and the transitive verb patterns.

Next, think about a sentence as being a series of slots. Usually, the first slot is the subject. The second slot is the predicate. Remember, the number of slots in the predicate varies. This is what will help you distinguish the different patterns. It is beneficial to memorize the number of slots for each pattern.

Patterns I - III (Be Patterns)

The first three patterns are the be patterns. The number of slots in the predicate is two. The first slot contains the main, or predicating verb, which is a form of be. Some examples of forms of be are is, am, are, was, were, being, and been. Expanded forms are have been, was being, might be, and will be. What follows the main verb in the second slot determines which pattern the sentence is. In Pattern I, an adverbial of time or place follows the main verb. An adjectival follows it in Pattern II, and in Pattern III, a noun phrase follows the main verb.

* The subscript numbers in some of the patterns show relationship between noun phrases. If the numbers are identical, the noun phrases have the same referent (what the noun phrase stands for). Different numbers denote different referents.

I.    NP
      (subject)
      The team be
(predicating verb)
is ADV/TP
(adverbial of time or place)
outside

II.   NP
      (subj)
      The team be
(pred vb)
is ADJ
(subject complement)
hard working

III. NP(1)
       (subj)
       That team be
(pred vb)
is NP(1)
(subj comp)
the Raiders

Patterns IV - V (Linking Verb Patterns)

Patterns IV-V contain two slots in the predicate just as in Patterns I-III. These patterns contain a linking verb followed by a subject complement. The difference between the two is that which fills the subject complement slot. In Pattern IV, an adjectival fills the subject complement slot. In Pattern V, a noun phrase fills the subject complement slot. The noun phrase has the same referent as the first noun phrase.

Linking verbs that commonly appear in Pattern IV are verbs of the senses like taste, smell, feel, sound, and look. Others include turn, appear, become, get, remain, and prove. Some of the verbs like become, remain, and seem also are used in Pattern V.

IV.   NP
        (subj)
        The child linking verb
(pred vb)
seems ADJ
(subj comp)
honest

V.    NP(1)
       (subj)
       The children lnk verb
(pred vb)
became NP(1)
(subj comp)
foster kids

Pattern VI (Intransitive Verb Pattern)

There is no complement, no noun phrase or adjectival, following the verb in this pattern; however, it is likely that adverbial information follows the verb. Remember in Pattern I that the adverbial usually gives time and place information. The adverbial in Pattern VI may also answer questions such as why or how or how long following the intransitive verb.

VI.   NP
       (subj)
       The club members intransitive verb
(pred vb)
arrived

Patterns VII - X (Transitive Verb Patterns)

The four transitive verb patterns have one thing in common. They each contain a direct object.   Pattern VII is considered the basic transitive pattern and contains only a direct object following the verb. Pattern VIII differs a little in that an indirect object precedes the direct object. We usually think of the indirect object as the recipient and the direct object as the thing given. One way to distinguish between Patterns IX and X is to recognize what the object complement following the direct object represents. In Pattern IX, the object complement that follows the direct object is an adjective. It modifies or describes the direct object. The object complement in Pattern X is a noun phrase. Remember that in this pattern, the noun phrase has the same referent as the direct object.

VII.   NP(1)
         (subj)
         The woman transitive verb
(pred vb)
passed NP(2)
(direct object)
the test

VIII. NP(1)
          (subj)
          The players trans vb
(pred vb)
gave NP(2)
(indirect object)
the other team NP(3)
(dir obj)
the ball

IX.     NP(1)
          (subj)
          The members trans vb
(pred vb)
find NP(2)
(dir obj)
the club ADJ
(obj comp)
interesting

X.      NP(1)
          (subj)
          She trans vb
(pred vb)
considers NP(2)
(dir obj)
her teacher NP(2)
(obj comp)
the best

Definitions

noun phrase: phrase that includes the noun headword, along with its modifiers and/or complements. Example: The noun phrase in the sentence "The diligent students work on their assignment" is the diligent students.
verb phrase: phrase which functions as the predicating verb and includes the headword along with its modifiers and/or complements. Example: The verb phrase in the sentence "The diligent students work on their assignment" is work on their assignment.
predicating verb: the slot in sentence patterns that contains the main verb. Example: The predicating verb is likes in the sentence, "He likes to eat soup."
adverbial: modifier of a verb. Example: Many sentences contain words that complement or modify the main verb; i.e., "The little girl is here."
adjectival: modifier of a noun. Example: Little is the adjectival in the previous sentence.
subject complement: The nominal or adjectival following the verb, which renames or modifies the subject. Example: A subject complement follows the verb in Patterns II, III, IV, and V.
object complement: the adjectival or nominal that follows the direct object. Example: Object complements are found in Patterns IX and X.
direct object: follows a transitive verb and names the object of the verb's action. Example: She won the grand prize.
indirect object: recipient of the direct object. Example: The mother gave the child cookies.
particle: preposition-like word that is combined with a verb to form a verb phrase. Examples: turned on, called on, and blown up
phrasal verb: phrase containing a combination of a verb and particle that produces a meaning that is not suggested from the meaning of the individual parts. Example: The child needs to put away his clothes.
referent: the thing that a noun or noun phrase stands for. Example: The relationship between noun phrases is shown by a subscript number in the patterns. If the numbers are the same, the noun phrases have the same referent. If they are different, the noun phrases have different referents.
be patterns: patterns in which the form of be is the main verb. Example: Patterns I - III.
linking verbs: verbs that require a subject complement. Example: Patterns IV and V contain linking verbs.
intransitive verb: verbs that usually do not require a complement to be complete. Example: Pattern VI contains an intransitive verb as the main verb.
transitive verb: verbs that require at least one complement, the direct object. Example: Patterns VII - X contain a transitive verb as the main verb followed by a direct object and, in Pattern VII, an indirect object preceding the direct object.

Tip

Now that you know what a phrasal verb is, you can apply your knowledge and learn how to distinguish the difference between intransitive phrasal verbs and transitive phrasal verbs.   Since the particle in a phrasal verb is a preposition-like word, it is easy to "mix up" the two. Always remember that transitive phrasal verbs precede a direct object. An intransitive verb phrase may or may not precede an adverbial prepositional
phrase.

Examples:
Transitive Verb Phrase: The students blew up the chemistry lab.

Intransitive Verb Phrase without adverbial prepositional phrase: The space shuttle took off.

Intransitive Verb Phrase with adverbial prepositional phrase: The space shuttle took off after the countdown.

Exercise

Complete each sentence by filling in the slot with a word or group of words. Draw vertical lines to isolate each slot in the sentence and identify each slot according to its function and form. Then identify the sentence pattern.

1. The mechanic ( ) the car.

2. The test was ( ).

3. The ( ) lectured in the auditorium.

4. The announcements ( ) here.

5. The mother gave ( ) a bath.

6. ( ) are singers.

7. The graduate ( ) a teacher.

8. He considers ( ) friends.

9. The picture looks ( ).

10. The food inspector ( ) the food wonderful.

Click here for answers.

Bibliography

Kolln, Martha, and Robert Funk. Understanding English Grammar. Fifth Edition. Needham, Mass: Allyn & Bacon, 1998.

This informative text book provides insight into many of the grammatical theories, old and new, and offers challenging exercises to reinforce principles introduced. Quirk, Randolph. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London and New York: Longman Group Unlimited, 1985.

This highly organized book offers research from worldwide scholars on grammatical structure and developments in linguistic theory. Waddell, Marie L., Robert Esch, and Roberta Walker. The Art of Styling Sentences - 20 Patterns for Success. Second Edition. New York: Barron's Educational Series, Inc.,1983.

This book offers more patterns for sentence structure. Included are many examples and various exercises to challenge the mind. Written by Misty Wilson
Edited by Mark Canada