Write a sentence correctly in English. Word order in an English sentence: patterns and rules of construction. How to write a proposal correctly

In order for your spoken and written English to be as literate as possible, you must not only know a large number of words in this language, but also be able to put 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 having 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 am interested in 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's running.
• Auxiliary verb . 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 additions:

• 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 place, time, image or cause of 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 one?” 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 of different parts of 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 direct.

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 - She is not reading at the moment;

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 of the 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 a 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. More often try to formulate coherent texts in the language you are learning, 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.

In order to construct even the simplest sentence in English, you need to know the word order in the language. This seemingly simple, but very important topic is the starting point in the study of English grammar.

Subject + predicate + direct object

In a regular affirmative sentence, the subject is placed immediately before the predicate (verb). The direct object, when present, comes immediately after the verb. For example:

• They bought a car. — They bought a car.
• We can't do that. - We can't do this.
• The girl in a blue dress was playing the piano. — A girl in a blue dress was playing the piano.

Predicate

Note that by subject here we mean not only the main noun or pronoun, but also the adjectives or descriptive phrases that refer to it. The rest of the sentence that does not refer to the subject is called the predicate. For example:

• The girl in a blue dress was playing the piano.

Indirect additions and circumstances

If there are any other parts in the sentence - indirect additions or circumstances - they usually occupy a strictly defined place.

Indirect object position

after direct object if it contains the preposition to.

The indirect object is placed before direct object when to is missing. For example:

• The teacher gave dictionaries to the pupils. — The teacher distributed dictionaries to the students.
• The teacher gave them dictionaries. — The teacher gave them dictionaries.

Position of circumstance

The circumstance can be placed in three places:

Before the subject (usually these are tense adverbs)

• In the morning he was reading a book. — In the morning he was reading a book.

After the addition (almost any adverb or adverbial phrase can be placed here):

• He was reading a book at the library. — He was reading a book in the library.

Between the auxiliary and main verb (usually short adverbs):

• He has already read this book. — He has already read the book.

In standard English, there are usually no other words placed between the subject and the predicate or between the predicate and the object. But there are a few exceptions. Here are the most important of them:

Adverbs of frequency and indirect objects without the preposition to

• I sometimes drink coffee in the morning. - I Sometimes I drink coffee in the morning.
• He showed the driver his bus pass. — He showed to the driver your bus pass.

If you follow these simple rules, you will be able to avoid mistakes in the placement of words in an English sentence. The examples given are intentionally simple - but the same rules can be applied to more. For example:

• The woman, , never went to sleep before - The woman [who often felt lonely] never went to bed without calling her sister.

Stylistic change in word order

Of course, there are exceptions to the rules, and writers or speakers often use unusual word order to achieve a particular effect. But if we now focus on exceptions, we will distract from the main principles, and the problem of word order in a sentence may seem very difficult.

So here are some more examples: You should know that these sentences exist, but don't try to use them unless absolutely necessary until you have mastered the principles of normal word order (remember, you need to learn to walk before you can run!):

• Never before had he felt so miserable. “He had never felt so unhappy before.”

If a sentence begins with never or never before, the subject and predicate are often subject to inversion, i.e. change places. Don't use inversion when never follows the subject!

• Hardly had I finished cleaning the house, my friend called. “I had barely finished cleaning the house when my friend called.

(When a sentence begins with hardly, the subject and predicate must always be inverted.)

• Had they known, they"d never have done that. - Had they known this, they would never have done that.

(Inversion is used in hypothetical condition structures when if is omitted.)

• Whatever you can tell me, I know already. “Whatever you tell me, I already know.”

Here's the expanded addition: Whatever you can tell me, is placed at the beginning of the sentence for artistic reasons: this sentence structure is not necessary, it's just .

Now, having mastered the rules for constructing simple sentences, you can move on to more complex sentences with subordinate constructions.

How do you feel about non-standard word order in English? Difficult, unclear? Share in the comments!

Scheme 1: Subject + auxiliary or normal verb + object + adverbial

1. The subject is the person or object performing the action. The subject is:

1.1. Noun.

For example: Salt is white. White salt.

A boy is here. The boy is here.

1.2. Personal pronoun (answering the questions who?, what?).

For example: She is a doctor. She's a doctor.

1.3. Formal subject (it, there, one).

For example: One can do it. It can be done.

There are some desks in the classroom. There are several tables in the auditorium.

It is dark. Dark.

2. Predicate. The predicate is a verb in a simple form corresponding to the infinitive of the verb without the particle to.

For example: He lives in Rostov. He lives in Rostov.

To be can be a normal verb in a sentence and play the role of a predicate.

For example: I am a doctor. I'm a doctor.

In addition, the verb to be can be an auxiliary verb. In this case, it does not play an independent role in the sentence, but carries a constructive load and is not translated.

Eg: Are you reading? Are you reading?

If a declarative sentence has a normal verb, there is no present or past auxiliary verb.

3. Addition. Answers the questions of who?, what?, to whom?, to what? The object can be non-prepositional, indirect, direct and prepositional indirect.

For example: I gave her a book. I gave her a book (her is a non-prepositional indirect object, and book is a direct object). The indirect non-prepositional object must come before the direct object.

I gave a book to her. I gave the book to her. (a book is a direct object, to her is a prepositional indirect object). The indirect prepositional object must come after the direct object.

4. Circumstance. There are circumstances of the course of action that answer the question How? – How?, places answering the question Where – Where?, and time answering the question When? - When?

If there is more than one circumstance in a sentence, then the circumstance of the manner of action is indicated first, then the circumstance of place, and last the circumstance of time.

Note: adverbs of time and place may appear before the subject.

Scheme 2: Circumstance + subject + predicate + object + circumstance.

For example: Yesterday I watched TV with pleasure at home. I watched TV at home with pleasure yesterday (with pleasure is a circumstance of the manner of action, at home is a circumstance of place, yesterday is a circumstance of time).

Word order is direct if the subject comes before the predicate:

He helps his father every day.

Every day she reads periodicals.

Declarative sentences always have direct word order.

So, in a declarative sentence:

The subject is used before the predicate.

The prepositional definition must appear before the word being defined.

An adverbial clause can only appear in a sentence at the beginning and at the end.

The object comes after the predicate.

II. Interrogative sentence.

Interrogative sentences are general, special, alternative and disjunctive.

General ones are answered “yes” or “no”.

Word order schemes for general questions:

Scheme 3: Auxiliary verb + subject + semantic verb

Does he live in Rostov?

If the predicate is represented by the verbs to be and to have, then the sentence will not have an auxiliary verb.

Was he at home yesterday?

Has she got a dog?

Scheme 4: Modal verb + subject + semantic verb

Must we study English?

Special questions should begin with a question word.

Scheme 5: Question word + auxiliary verb + subject + object + semantic verb + adverbial

Where is he from?

What is her name?

Alternative questions are those that contain the particle or - or:

Diagram 6: General question + or + alternative.

Is he a teacher or a doctor?

A separating question contains an affirmation or negation + a short question.

Scheme 7: declarative sentence + auxiliary verb corresponding (in person and number) to the predicate of the main sentence + not + subject in pronoun form.

He is a doctor, is not he?

III. Negative sentence.

Diagram 8: Subject + auxiliary verb + not + predicate + object + adverbial

He is not a doctor.

Word order in English subordinated to a clear diagram (in the picture). Substitute words there instead of squares and get the correct word order. The scheme is simple and you can figure it out in literally 15 minutes. For better understanding, there are examples of English sentences with translation into Russian.

Word order in an English sentence, construction scheme.

The standard English sentence is built according to such a scheme:

The sentence shown in the figure is called narrative or, which is the same, affirmative. An affirmative sentence is when someone did something and we talk about it.

First place The subject in the sentence is the one who performs the action. In the diagram and in the examples, the subject is highlighted in red. The subject can be a noun (mom, cat, apple, work, etc.) or a pronoun (I, you, he, etc.). The subject may also contain several adjectives used as modifiers (fast cat, red apple, etc.).

In second place there is always a predicate. The predicate is the action itself. In the diagram and in the examples, the predicate is highlighted in blue. It is expressed by a verb (to go, look, think, etc.)

After the predicate there is one or more additions. The object is again a noun or pronoun.

And at the end of the sentence there are circumstances of place and time. They show where and when the action took place. As a rule, first come the words that answer the question “Where?”, and then the words that answer the question “When?”.

Examples of affirmative sentences:

What if there is no subject?

In the Russian language, it is quite common to make utterances in which either the subject, or the predicate, or both are missing. For example:

In English the predicate is obligatory. And in such cases, the verb to be (is) is used as a predicate. For example:

They are students.
They are students.

That is, the English, instead of “They are students,” say “They are students,” and instead of “This is a tree,” they say, “This is a tree.” Here “are” and “is” are forms of the verb to be. This verb, unlike most other English verbs, is inflected by persons. You can see all forms of the verb to be.

If a Russian sentence lacks both a subject and a predicate, then when translated into English, “It is” is placed at the beginning of the sentence. For example:

Cold.
It is cold.

Order of adjectives.

It happens that the addition contains a large number of adjectives. For example:

I bought a large beautiful and very comfortable sofa.

Here is the standard word order in which adjectives are arranged in an English sentence:

1) adjectives describing your impression of the object (good, beautiful, excellent...)

2) size (large, small...)

3) age (new, old...)

5) origin (Italian, German...)

6) the material from which it is made (metal, leather...)

7) what is it intended for (office, computer...)

For example:

Words that have a special place in a sentence.

If the sentence contains the words:

Showing the frequency of the action (often, never, sometimes, always…)

Then these words must be placed before the semantic verb or after the verb to be or, in the case of a compound verb, after the first verb. For example:

He often goes to the gym.
He often goes to the gym.

He is often tired after work.
He is often tired after work(be tired - to be tired)

You must never do it again.
You will never do this again.

Word order in negative and interrogative English sentences.

I talked about affirmative sentences. Everything is simple with them. But in order to speak English at least somehow, you need to be able to construct negative statements and ask questions. In a negative English sentence, the word order is almost the same, but the questions are constructed according to a slightly different pattern.

Here's a picture that shows all three types of sentences:

The order of words in an English sentence is, on the one hand, an easy topic, because the basic rules are simple, but on the other hand, it is an inexhaustible topic, because the nuances are endless. In this article we will not try to grasp the immensity, but will consider the basic rules and principles of sentence construction in the English language.

What does a sentence consist of in English?

Word order in a subordinate clause (in a complex sentence)

In subordinate clauses, the word order is simple - the same as in the affirmative,

• I know where you live. - I know where you live.
• I don't know where you live. – I don’t know where you live.
• Do you know where I live? – Do you know where I live?

For clarity, I will present the proposals in the form of a table:

A common mistake is that in the part of the sentence that begins with conjunctions (in this case, these are conjunctions) who, why, when, where words rearranged, as in an interrogative sentence.

• Wrong: I don't know why did she call me.
• Right: I don't know why she called me.

In this case, “...why she called me” is not at all the same as the interrogative sentence “Why did she call me?”, but a subordinate clause. The word order in it is direct, as in a simple affirmative sentence.

This is especially common in complex interrogative sentences. In this case, the reverse word order should only be in the main part (Do you know), but not in the subordinate clause (where I live).

• Wrong: Do you know where do I live?
• Right: Do you know where do I live?
• Wrong: Do you know who was it?
• Right: Do you know who was it?