SUBJECT Elephants SUBJECT Elephants SUBJECT Elephants SUBJECT Elephants SUBJECT Elephants SUBJECT Elephants SUBJECT the elephant

VERB exist. VERB like VERB give VERB are VERB make VERB live VERB thrust OBJECT grass. INDIRECT OBJECT children COMPLEMENT animals. OBJECT children ADVERBIAL here. OBJECT him ADVERBIAL away. COMPLEMENT happy. DIRECT OBJECT rides.

Pattern 1: subject + verb

The shortest sentence you can make starting with the word elephants consists of two words. For example: Elephants exist. This sentence consists of one clause. The clause has two parts, a subject and a verb:

SUBJECT Elephants
The subject The subject of a simple sentence:

VERB exist.

comes at or near the beginning of the sentence comes before the verb is a noun or a noun-like thing often gives a good idea of what the sentence is going to be about.

The verb The verb of a simple sentence:

normally comes immediately or shortly after the subject agrees with the subject: - in number (One elephant walks; two elephants walk.) - in person (I am; she is; they are) provides information about - an action (talks) or - a state (believes) or - links the subject to another part of the sentence in some other way (as the sentence I am happy.)

The simple pattern of subject + verb can be used to generate thousands of sen may have just two words like the sample sentence, or they may have many mo

SUBJECT Elephants The older bull elephants A few more trainees

VERB exist.

are beginning to stamped will have departed.

Although the last two sentences have many more words than the first, they stil two clause elements: subject and verb.

Pattern 2: subject + verb + object

The shortest sentence you can make starting with the word elephants consists of two words, a subject Elephants exist. You can't, of course, make sentences of the subject + verb type with just any old verb. This is not a co Elephants like The immediate response to that is: 'like what?' The sentence is missing a key part: the object. So Patt sentences like this:

SUBJECT Elephants
The object The object of a simple sentence:

VERB like

OBJECT grass.

normally comes after the verb is a noun or 'noun-like thing' usually refers to a different person, thing or idea from the subject. (The exception to this is obj the part-word -self, as in I cut myself, where subject and object refer to the same person.) very often tells us about a person or thing that is - affected by the action of the verb, or - 'acted upon' in some way. In the example, the grass is clearly affected by the action of eating.

The simple pattern of subject + verb + object can be used to generate thousands of sentences. They m words like the sample sentence, or they may have many more:

SUBJECT Elephants An adult bull elephant Someone

VERB like

OBJECT grass.

can be expected to eat tons of grass. might have warned the poor girl.

Although the last two sentences have many more words than the first, they still have the same two cla subject and verb.

Pattern 3: subject + verb + object + object

Some verbs, like want, must have an object. But there is a group of verbs that need not one object, but two different kinds of object. This sentence has a subject a verb and an object, but something is missing: Elephants give children... We are left asking, 'Elephants give children what?' Verbs like give need a second object:

SUBJECT Elephants

VERB give

INDIRECT OBJECT children

DIRECT O rides.

Rides is the direct object - it is what the elephants give. Children is the indire objectbecause the children are the ones who benefit from the rides - the peop rides are being given to. You can always tell this type of sentence because it ca round like this:

SUBJECT Elephants

VERB give

INDIRECT OBJECT children

DIRECT O rides.

Elephants SUBJECT

give VERB

rides DIRECT OBJECT

to childre

INDIRECT OBJECT.

Many verbs that refer to the action of passing something from one person or th another work in this way. Examples are pass and show:

SUBJECT Henry

VERB passed

INDIRECT OBJECT her

DIRECT O

some thin crustless bread and

He

showed

them

the carefu of the ho

Pattern 4: subject + verb + complement

There are two clause patterns that look similar but which are in fact very different:

SUBJECT 1 2 Elephants Elephants

VERB like are

REST OF SENTENCE grass. animals.

In sentence 1 the word grass is the object and the words elephant and grass re things. In sentence 2 the word animals refers to the same thing as elephants. Itcompletes the meaning of the subject. So it is described as the subject com

SUBJECT Elephants
The complement

VERB are

COMPLEMENT animals.

The subject complement of a simple sentence:

comes after the verb is either - a noun or 'noun-like thing', or - an adjective (as in the sentence, Elephants are big.) refers to the same person thing or idea as the subject.

This type of clause uses a special type of verb, a linking verb. the commonest is be. Others are become and seem:

SUBJECT She This explanation

VERB became may not seem

COMPLEMENT a freelance business writer. very attractive.

Pattern 5: subject + verb + object + complement

The subject of a sentence can be followed later by a complement. This is a word or group of words that complete its meaning. For example: She became a freelance business writer. The words a freelance business writer complete the subject she. They are the subject complement. The object of the sentence can also have a complement, in sentences like this:

SUBJECT Elephants

VERB make

OBJECT children

COMPLEM happy.

The object complement The object complement:

comes after the object provides additional information about the object can be: - a noun or 'noun-like thing' (as in They made me secretary), or - an adjective like happy.

Pattern 6: subject + verb + adverbial

Some verbs have to be followed by particular clause elements. For example, in this pattern:

SUBJECT

VERB

? ?

Elephants like

the verb like needs to be followed by an object: Elephants like grass. Similarly in this pattern:

SUBJECT

VERB

? ?

Elephants are

the verb are needs to be followed by a complement: Elephants are animals. This sentence sets up a similar need:

SUBJECT

VERB

? ?

Elephants live

This unfinished sentence leads us to ask questions such as, 'Elephants live whe complete the sentence we need a third element that isn't an object or a comple

SUBJECT

VERB

ADVERBIAL

Elephants live

here.

Verbs that require an adverbial often refer to movement (like hurtle) or position (likehang):

SUBJECT They Dauntless's dark wet hair

VERB hurtled was hanging

ADVERBIAL

across the land over his eyes.

In sentences like those the adverbial is compulsory: if you leave it out, you bre of the sentence. Much more often, adverbials are an 'optional extra' and can ap different places in a sentence:

ADVERBIAL Yesterday SUBJECT It

and so on.

SUBJECT my cat ADVERBIAL often

VERB disappeared. VERB disappears.

John Seely 2008

Pattern 7: subject + verb + object + adverbial

Some verbs can be followed by an object but still need a fourth element to complete the sentence:

SUBJECT The elephant

VERB thrust

OBJECT him

? ?

This sentence leads the listener to ask questions such as, 'The elephant thrust him We need to add a fourth element to the sentence:

SUBJECT The elephant

VERB thrust

OBJECT him

ADVERBIAL away.

The sentence does not work without away. Verbs that usually need an object to followed by an adverbial include put and throw:

SUBJECT He She

VERB put threw

OBJECT his face the bottle

ADVERBIAL in his hands. over towards Cleo's lap.

In those sentences like those the adverbial is compulsory: you cannot remove t leave the sentence intact. Much more often, adverbials are optional and can ap different positions in the sentence: I'll tell you tomorrow. He always used to tuck it underneath the water butt. He rarely ate red meat. And so on.