Manila Science High School

Module in English 8
Basic Sentence Patterns
Miss Leversia E. Rivera

STARTER
Answer the 15-item pretest and find out how well you know the basic sentence patterns. Write your answers in
the blanks. Good luck!

15
SCORE: __________

Identify the pattern of each of these sentences as S-IV, S-TV-DO, S-TV-IO-DO, S-LV-SC (Adj), S-
LV-SC (N), S-TV-DO-OC (Adj), or S-TV-DO-OC (N).

1. S-IV
Benny arrived late. _______________
2. Aunt sent me a package. S-TV-IO-DO
_______________
3. The player dribbled the ball. S-TV-DO
_______________
4. S-LV-SC (Adj.)
Our class president is reliable. _______________
5. S-LV-SC (N)
Sheila is our class president. _______________
6. The students find Social Studies an interesting subject. S-TV-DO-OC (N)
_______________
7. S-TV-DO-OC (Adj.)
The students find Social Studies interesting. _______________

Identify the underlined words as direct object, indirect object, subjective complement, or objective
complement.

direct object
8. They watched the film. _______________
9. Brownie has six puppies. direct object
_______________
10. I made my speech long. objective complement
_______________
indirect object
11. My mother gave me a pair of earrings. _______________
subjective complement
12. Trisha is beautiful. _______________
13. Dad wrote us a letter. indirect object
_______________
subjective complement
14. We are the winners! _______________
15. I consider life’s problems challenges. _______________
objective complement

Turn to the last page and check your answers.

If your score is between 10 and 15, you’ve done a great job! If it falls between 0 and 9, you need to learn more
about the basic sentence patterns. Read on…

INTRODUCTION

The Sentence
A sentence is a word or a group of words that contains a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.

Examples: Stay. (You-implied subject, stay-predicate)

I will come. (I-subject, will come-predicate)

Compare the following:

What a beautiful place! (This is an utterance or an interjection composed of a group of words.)
What a beautiful place it is! (This is a sentence.)

Analyze the following groups of words. Which of them are sentences?

Clean as you go
Behind that tree is a lovely cat
Anyone who answers my question correctly
Classes were suspended heavy rains had poured the previous night

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Manila Science High School
Module in English 8
Basic Sentence Patterns
Miss Leversia E. Rivera

The sentences are the following:

Clean as you go. (You-implied subject, clean as you go-predicate)
Behind that tree is a lovely cat. (A lovely cat-subject, is behind that tree-predicate)

The following is a fragment because it lacks a predicate.

Anyone who answers my question correctly

It may be improved this way:

Anyone who answers my question correctly shall be given additional points.

The following is a run-on sentence because it is composed of two sentences that should be joined by a
conjunction or separated by a period or semicolon.
Classes were suspended heavy rains had poured the previous night

It may be improved in three ways:

Classes were suspended because heavy rains had poured the previous night.
Classes were suspended. Heavy rains had poured the previous night.
Classes were suspended; heavy rains had poured the previous night.

The Subject and the Predicate

The subject may be in the form a noun, a pronoun, or noun-equivalent such as gerund, infinitive, and noun or
nominal clause.

Examples: Mathematics is a challenging subject. (noun)

It is indeed a challenging subject. (pronoun)
Hiking is a strenuous activity. (gerund)
To hike Mt. Everest is my dream. (to hike-infinitive, to hike Mt. Everest-infinitive phrase)
Where he got the big sum of money still puzzles me. (noun or nominal clause)

The simple subject is the pronoun or head noun. The complete subject is the pronoun or noun, determiner, and
modifier.

Examples: He who puts the interest of others above his can be a leader.
(He-simple subject, He who puts the interest of others above his-complete subject)
The woman standing near the stage is my new adviser.
(woman-simple subject, The woman standing near the stage-complete subject)

The verb in the sentence is referred to as the simple predicate. The complete predicate is composed of the
verb, modifier, and complement.

Examples: She is the new spelling champion!

(is-simple predicate, is the new spelling champion-complete predicate)
Melissa has brought joy to our family.
(has brought-simple predicate, has brought joy to our family-complete predicate)

A complement serves to complete something. Complements are direct objects, indirect objects, subjective
complements, and objective complements.

Examples: I admire her patience. (direct object)

I granted him his wish. (indirect object)
I am the coordinator of the relief operation. (subjective complement)
I am so inspired to serve others. (subjective complement)

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Manila Science High School
Module in English 8
Basic Sentence Patterns
Miss Leversia E. Rivera

I consider the relief operation, my new task, a great challenge. (objective complement)
I consider my new task very challenging. (objective complement)

Modifiers may be in the form single words, phrases, or clauses.

Examples: That articulate woman is my aunt. (single word used as adjective)

The woman in red cocktail dress is my aunt. (prepositional phrase used as adjective)
The woman talking to the principal is my aunt. (participial phrase used as adjective)
The woman who has just been given an award is my aunt. (adjectival clause)

All modifiers above modify the subject woman.

Our relatives arrived late. (single word used as adverb)

Our relatives arrived after dinner. (prepositional phrase used as adverb)
Our relatives arrived after we had eaten dinner. (adverbial clause)

All modifiers above modify the verb arrive.

Types of Sentences

Structure Form Function

(According to Number of Clauses) (According to Word Order) (According to Communicative Function)
Simple Sentence Statement Declarative
(It is composed of one independent Subject+Verb  You don’t like it.
clause.)  Martin has seen an
 Claire is the new editor-in- interesting subject for
chief. his artwork.
 Claire and Martha are the
new staff members.
 Claire writes and edits her
own articles.
 Claire and Martha write and
edit their own articles.
Compound Sentence Question Interrogative
(Two or more independent clauses WH-word+Verb  Don’t you like it?
are joined by coordinating  What has he seen for
conjunctions – FANBOYS, i.e., his artwork?
for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.)
 Our performance seemed Auxiliary Verb+Subject
perfect but the judges still  Has he seen an
saw some flaws. interesting subject for
(Our performance seemed his artwork?
perfect-IC
the judges still saw some
flaws-IC)
 Our performance seemed
perfect but the judges still
saw some flaws so we became
more determined to improve
our craft.
(Our performance seemed
perfect-IC

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Manila Science High School
Module in English 8
Basic Sentence Patterns
Miss Leversia E. Rivera

the judges still saw some

flaws-IC
we became more determined
to improve our craft-IC)
Complex Sentence Exclamation Exclamatory
(It is composed of one independent What+Noun+Subject+Verb  I definitely like it!
clause and one or more dependent  What a great story it
clauses.) is!
 Mahru became more
determined to win the race How+Adjective or
when his classmates cheered Adverb+Subject+Verb
for him.  How strange it is!
(Mahru became more  How oddly he
determined to win the race-IC behaved!
when his classmates cheered
for him-DC)
 The mayor who had been
accused of graft and
corruption charged his
political opponent with
spreading black propaganda
after the latter had been seen
in many interviews on
national TV.
(The mayor charged his
political opponent with
spreading black propaganda-
IC
who had been accused of
graft and corruption-DC
after the latter had been seen
in many interviews on
national TV-DC)
Compound-Complex Sentence Command or Request Imperative
(It is composed of two or more (Implied Subject+Verb)  Go ahead.
independent clauses and one or  Wait a minute.
more dependent clauses.)  Go there.
 Clarissa, whom I have
admired since college, has
received numerous awards in
the field of education yet she
remains humble and
approachable.
(Clarissa has received
numerous awards in the field
of education-IC
she remains humble and
approachable-IC
whom I have
admired since college-DC)

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Manila Science High School
Module in English 8
Basic Sentence Patterns
Miss Leversia E. Rivera

There may be mismatch between sentence form and function. Analyze the following:

Form Function Sentence

Statement Imperative You will do as you are told.
Question Declarative What is the point.
Command Exclamatory Watch out!
Exclamation Interrogative How oddly he behaved? (i.,e., Is that what you said?)

Communicative function, whatever sentence form it observes, is determined by the purpose in written or spoken
English and it is signaled by punctuation mark in writing and intonation in speaking.

THE BASIC SENTENCE PATTERNS

The basic sentence patterns are the following:

1. Subject - Intransitive Verb (S-IV)

The police came.

S IV

 An intransitive verb does not need or require an object (receiver).

The students arrived late.

The clownfish died.

2. Subject - Transitive Verb - Direct Object (S-TV-DO)

The police chased the robbers.

S TV DO

 A transitive verb requires an object, otherwise its meaning will not become complete. A direct object is the
direct receiver of the action; it completes the meaning of the transitive verb. The direct object answers the
question what or whom.

The students submitted their projects. (The students submitted what?)

TV DO
The teacher scolded the students. (The teacher scolded whom?)
TV DO

3. Subject - Transitive Verb - Indirect Object - Direct Object (S-TV-IO-DO)

The police gave the victim her purse.

S TV IO DO

 An indirect object is the indirect receiver of the action. The indirect object answers the questions:

To whom? I gave Celine an apple. (I gave what? To whom?)

For whom? We built the victims houses. (We built what? For whom?)
Of whom? Brianna asked the artist sensible questions. (Brianna asked what? Of whom?)

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Manila Science High School
Module in English 8
Basic Sentence Patterns
Miss Leversia E. Rivera

Some of the verbs that require IO are give, ask, make, tell, hand, buy, send, pass, teach, lend, feed, mail, and
build.

4. Subject - Linking Verb - Subjective Complement

4.a. S-LV-SC (noun, predicate noun, or predicate nominative)

The victim is Fiona.

S LV SC (noun)
How many persons are we talking about in the sentence? There’s only one. Fiona and victim refer to
only one person. Fiona renames victim.

Sometimes, the SC is a pronoun.

The winner is she.

4.b. S-LV-SC (adjective or predicate adjective)

Fiona looks frightened.

S LV SC (adjective)

Frightened describes or modifies Fiona.

 A linking verb connects the subjective complement and the subject (If the SC is a noun, it renames or refers
back to the subject. If the SC is an adjective, it modifies or describes the subject.). Examples of linking
verbs are BE (am, is, are, was, were, modal + be, has/have been, had been, modal + have been), seem,
appear, remain, stay, taste, look, sound, feel, smell, turn, grow, and become.

5. Subject - Transitive Verb - Direct Object - Objective Complement

5.a. S-TV-DO-OC (noun)

The victim considered the robbers parasites.

S TV DO OC (noun)

The OC, parasites, renames or refers back to the DO, robbers. The OC answers the question “What?”.
(The victim considered the robbers what? Parasites.)

5.b. S-TV-DO-OC (adjective)

The victim considered the robbers cruel.

S TV DO OC (adjective)

The OC, cruel, modifies or describes the DO, robbers. The OC answers the question “What?”. (The
victim considered the robbers what? Cruel.)

 Some of the verbs that require OC are make, call, name, christen, consider, paint, cut, leave, declare, and
find.

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Manila Science High School
Module in English 8
Basic Sentence Patterns
Miss Leversia E. Rivera

The basic parts of a sentence can be expanded further through the use of determiners (articles [the, a, an],
demonstratives [this, these, that, those], possessive determiners [my, our, etc.], and indefinite determiners
[few, many, several, etc.]) and modifiers (adjectives and adverbs).

The outstanding teacher of the year sincerely thanked her colleagues, who were
S TV DO
with her during the awarding ceremonies.

The S teacher is modified by the article the, the adjective outstanding, and the adjectival phrase of the
year. The TV thanked is modified by the adverb sincerely. The DO colleagues is modified by the
possessive determiner her and the adjectival clause who were with her during the awarding ceremonies.

TEST YOURSELF!

ENRICHER
Answer the 15-item posttest and find out what you have learned about the basic sentence patterns. Write your
answers in the blanks. Again, good luck!

14
SCORE: __________

Identify the pattern of each of these sentences as S-IV, S-TV-DO, S-TV-IO-DO, S-LV-SC (Adj), S-LV-
SC (N), S-TV-DO-OC (Adj), or S-TV-DO-OC (N).

1. The airline employee looks honest. S-LV-SC (Adj.)

_______________
2. S-TV-DO
Pass the ball! _______________
3. S-TV-DO-OC
The interior decorator painted my room green. _______________
4. Margaret will be the new manager. S-LV-SC (N)
_______________
5. S-IV
The poor boy died of leukemia. _______________
6. S-TV-DO-OC (N)
Celine considers the electrification project a failure. _______________
7. S-TV-IO-DO
The computer store sent me a pricelist. _______________

Identify the underlined words as direct object, indirect object, subjective complement, or objective
complement.

objective complement
8. Her laughter is contagious! _______________
9. I love you. direct object
_______________
10. The employee handed the manager her resignation letter. indirect object
_______________
11. I made my report interesting. objective complement
_______________
12. The teacher considers my poem a masterpiece. objective complement
_______________
subjective complement
13. Marie has been a good friend. _______________
indirect object
14. Please give me a clue. _______________
direct object
15. She led the group effectively. _______________

Turn to the last page and check your answers.

Congratulations if your score is between 10 and 15, and higher than that in the pretest. If your score is still
between 0 and 9, you better study this module again before you answer the Challenger.

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Manila Science High School
Module in English 8
Basic Sentence Patterns
Miss Leversia E. Rivera

CHALLENGER
Answer the 15-item posttest and find out what you have learned about the basic sentence patterns. Write your
answers in the blanks. Give your best shot!

Identify the pattern of each of these sentences as S-IV, S-TV-DO, S-TV-IO-DO, S-LV-SC (Adj), S-LV-
SC (N), S-TV-DO-OC (Adj), or S-TV-DO-OC (N).

S-TV-IO-DO
1. Show the visitors the way. _______________
S-TV-DO
2. Mark has attended the conference. _______________
3. October is a month of festivals. _______________
S-LV-SC (N)
4. The city folk gave the beauty queen a rousing welcome. _______________
S-TV-IO-DO
5. The Dean recommended him scholar of the year. _______________
S-TV-DO-OC (N)
6. The lecturer made his speech brief. S-TV-DO-OC (Adj.)
_______________
7. Chris appeared relieved after receiving treatment. S-LV-SC (Adj.)
_______________
S-TV-IO-DO
8. The government has been awarding outstanding employees plaques of recognition. _______________
S-LV-SC (N)
9. The minister will be the guest speaker at the commencement exercises. _______________
10. Mrs. Perez, our principal, will retire next month. S-IV
_______________
11. The infant died of dehydration. S-IV
_______________
S-TV-IO-DO
12. Please give me the concert tickets now. _______________
S-LV-SC (N)
13. Postponing the tasks that you can do today is not a good habit. _______________
S-TV-DO
14. Stop talking! _______________
15. I want my French fries salty. S-TV-DO-OC
_______________(Adj.)

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Manila Science High School
Module in English 8
Basic Sentence Patterns
Miss Leversia E. Rivera

ANSWER KEY TO STARTER

1. S-IV
2. S-TV-IO-DO
3. S-TV-DO
4. S-LV-SC (adj.)
5. S-LV-SC (noun)
6. S-TV-DO-OC (noun)
7. S-TV-DO-OC (adj.)
8. direct object
9. direct object
10. objective complement
11. indirect object
12. subjective complement
13. indirect object
14. subjective complement
15. objective complement

ANSWER KEY TO ENRICHER

1. S-LV-SC (adj.)
2. S-TV-DO
3. S-TV-DO-OC (Adj.)
4. S-LV-SC (noun)
5. S-IV
6. S-TV-DO-OC (noun)
7. S-TV-IO-DO
8. subjective complement
9. direct object
10. indirect object
11. objective complement
12. objective complement
13. subjective complement
14. indirect object
15. direct object

ANSWER KEY TO CHALLENGER

1. S-TV-IO-DO
2. S-TV-DO
3. S-LV-SC (noun)
4. S-TV-IO-DO
5. S-TV-DO-OC (noun)
6. S-TV-DO-OC (adj.)
7. S-LV-SC (adj.)
8. S-TV-IO-DO
9. S-LV-SC (noun)
10. S-IV
11. S-IV
12. S-TV-IO-DO
13. S-LV-SC (noun)
14. S-TV-DO
15. S-TV-DO-OC (adj.)