BASIC SENTENCE

PATTERNS
 Identifying Subjects and Verbs
Key Concept:

A complete sentence requires a subject and a verb; it also must express

a complete thought.
 Subjects
A sentence must have a subject.
• A subject is a noun
A person, place or thing
Mr. Villanueva
Mariano Marcos State University
Hat

• Or a pronoun
A word that takes the place of a noun
She/he/they
It
 Verbs
A sentence must also have a verb.
There are 2 types of verbs:
Action
• Show movement
Examples: to sing, to joke, to run, to walk
Linking
• Linking verbs do not show action. Instead, they convey existence, being,
becoming, and sometimes, one of the 5 senses. Linking verbs connect the
subject and the word after the linking verb.
Examples: to be, to seem, to become
 Identifying Subjects and Verbs
To identify the subject and verb in a sentence, ask these questions:

• What is the action? What word links two or more other

words?
the verb

• Who or what is performing the action?

the subject
 Practice
1. Rey John sang.
⚫ What is the action?
Sang (verb – action)
⚫ Who sang?
Rey John (subject)

2. The students were happy.

⚫ What word joins the description to the subject?
Were (verb – linking)

⚫ Who were happy?

Students (subject)
 More Practice
Identify the subjects and verbs in the following sentences:
1. Shirley laughs.
Subject = Shirley
Verb = laughs (action)
2. Bea Alonzo is famous.
Subject = Bea Alonzo
Verb = is (links description to subject)
3. The dog barked.
Subject = the dog
Verb = barked (action)
4. Michael V. creates funny characters.
Subject = Michael V.
Verb = creates (action)
 Simple and Compound Subjects and Verbs
• A single subject is referred to as a simple subject.
• A single verb is referred to as a simple verb.

Example:

The artist quickly drew the tourist’s caricature.

What is the action? Drew (one action = simple verb)

Who drew? Artist (one actor = simple subject)
 Compound Subjects
A sentence may also contain a compound subject: two or more stated
nouns or pronouns perform the same action.

Example:
RJ and the students have gone to the movies.

What is the action? Have gone (one action = simple

verb)

Who has gone? RJ+ students

(two stated actors = compound subject)
 Compound Verbs
A sentence may also contain a compound verb: the subject performs two
or more actions.

Example:
Maria frequently drinks, dances, and parties through the night.

What is (are) the action(s)? Drink, dance, + party

(3 actions = compound verb)

Who drinks, dances and parties? Maria (one stated actor = simple
subject)
 3 Possible Combinations
1. Compound Subject/Simple Verb:
In this case, two or more subjects perform one action.

Example:
Rey John and Maria went to Pagudpud.
Verb:
went
Subject:
Rey John + Maria
 3 Possible Combinations
2. Simple Subject/Compound Verb:
The simple subject of the sentence performs two or
more actions.
Example:
The audience booed and hissed at the performer.
Verb:
booed + hissed
Subject:
The audience
 3 Possible Combinations
3. Compound Subject/Compound Verb
This means that two or more subjects perform two or
more actions.

Example:
RJ, Maria, and Peter danced and ate all night.
Verb:
danced + ate
Subject:
RJ, Maria, + Peter
 Practice
Directions: Find the verbs and subjects. Indicate whether they are simple or compound by writing
Simple or Compound beside the verbs and subjects.

1. Armak and Celestial are two makers of local jeeps.

2. Jose and Maria took a vacation last summer.

3. The clown juggled and sang.

4. Whales and skates returned to the bay.

5. Juan and Petra visited the Herencia’s in Paoay last week.

 Practice
Directions: Find the verbs and subjects. Indicate whether they are simple or compound by writing Simple or
Compound beside the verbs and subjects.

1. Armak and Celestial are two makers of local jeeps.

COMPOUND SIMPLE
2. Jose and Maria took a vacation last summer.
COMPOUND SIMPLE
3. The clown juggled and sang.
SIMPLE COMPOUND
4. Whales and dolphins returned to the bay.
COMPOUND SIMPLE
5. Juan and Petra visited the Herencia’s in Paoay last week.
COMPOUND SIMPLE
Sentence Patterns
 Pattern 1: Subject-Verb (S-V)

Birds sing.

The abbreviation for Sentence Format 1 is S-V.

S= Bird
s
V= sin
g
 Pattern 1: Practice
Directions: Fill in the blanks with words that follow Sentence Format 1.

1. _______________ yell.
2. _______________ meow.
3. _______________ dance.
4. _______________ swim.
5. Athletes _____________.
6. Dogs ________________.
7. Joggers ______________.
8. Flowers ______________.
 Pattern 1: Practice

Directions: Identify the subject and the verb.

1. The lamb cried loudly.

2. Every summer, John goes to day camp.
3. The class practiced for an hour every week.
4. The price of gas just increased by 20 cents.
5. At night, hundreds of bats fly out of that cave.
 Pattern 1: Practice

Directions: Identify the subject and the verb.

1. The lamb cried loudly.

2. Every summer, John goes to day camp.
3. The class practiced for an hour every week.
4. The price of gas just increased by 20 cents.
5. At night, hundreds of bats fly out of that cave.
 Pattern 2: The Direct Object (S-V-DO)

Example:
Harry hit the baseball.
Subject = Harry
Verb = hit
What relationship does baseball have to hit?

Baseball is the direct object (DO) of the verb.

Abbreviation for Sentence Format 2: S-V-DO

 Pattern 2: Practice
Directions: Label each sentence format. Identify the subjects, verbs, and
direct objects.
1. Students like milk tea.
2. The arrow struck a tree.
3. RJ cried.
4. The chicken crossed the road.
5. The speaker declined the invitation.
6. The fullback caught the football.
7. The children jumped the fence.
 Pattern 2: Practice
Directions: Label each sentence format. Identify the subjects, verbs, and
direct objects.
1. Students like milk tea.
2. The arrow struck a tree.
3. RJ cried.
4. The chicken crossed the road.
5. The speaker declined the invitation.
6. The fullback caught the football.
7. The children jumped the fence.
 Pattern 3: The Indirect Object
(S-V-IO-DO)
Example:
Ryan threw me the ball.
Subject: Ryan
Verb: threw
Direct Object: ball
ME?
• The indirect object tells to whom the object was thrown.
• The abbreviation for Format 3 is: S-V-IO-DO
 Pattern 3: The Indirect Object

To test for indirect objects in a sentence, follow these 2 steps:

1. Rewrite the sentence in format 2 (S-V-DO)

2. Add to or for plus the word in question to the end of the sentence.
 Pattern 3: The Indirect Object
Maria gave me the Harry Potter book.

Let’s decide whether me is the IO:

1. Rewrite the sentence to follow Format 2:

Maria gave the Harry Potter book. (S-V-DO)

2. Add to or for plus the word in question to the end of the sentence:
Maria gave me the Harry Potter book. (May gave the Harry Potter book to me?)
S-V-IO-DO
 Pattern 3: Practice
Directions: Label all subjects, verbs, indirect objects, and direct objects.

1. Pablo awarded Henry the prize.

2. The boy bought the girl a flower.

3. I gave my friend an umbrella.

4. Sharon bought her father a sweater.

5. My English teacher gave me 1.0 on my test.

6. Hector fed the dog his dinner.

 Pattern 3: Practice
Directions: Label all subjects, verbs, indirect objects, and direct objects.

1. Pablo awarded Henry the prize.

2. The boy bought the girl a flower.

3. I gave my friend an umbrella.

4. Sharon bought her father a sweater.

5. My English teacher gave me 1.0 on my test.

6. Hector fed the dog his dinner.

 Pattern 4: The Complement
(S-LV-C)
Subject + Linking Verb + Subject Complement
Linking Verbs
❑ “To be” verbs like am, is, are, was, were, etc.
❑ Sensory verbs like appear, feel, grow, look, etc.

Subject Complement
❑ The adjective or noun that follows a linking verb
❑ Complement = completes the subject
 Pattern 4: The Complement
(S-LV-C)

• There two types of complements:

❑Noun complement
S-LV-C (N)
❑Adjective complement
S-LV-C (A)
 Pattern 4A: The Complement
(S-LV-C (N))

Brandon is a gifted athlete

▪ Brandon = subject
▪ is = linking verb
▪ athlete = NOUN as a subject complement
 Pattern 4B: The Complement
(S-LV-C (A))

He becomes embarrassed when people compliment his skill.

▪ He = subject
▪ becomes = linking verb
▪ embarassed = ADJECTIVE as a subject complement
 Pattern 4: The Complement
(S-LV-C)

❑ Don’t mistake a subject complement for a direct object!

❑Only linking verbs can have subject complements.

❑Example: Dora felt sick this morning.

Dora- subject
felt- linking verb
sick- adjective subject complement

❑Example: She felt her forehead but did not detect a temperature.
She- subject
felt- action verb
forehead- direct object (Remember, D.O. answers: [verb] what?)
 Practice Task
Directions: Label each sentence with its sentence pattern:
• Subject + verb (S+V)
• Subject + verb + direct object (S+V+DO)
• Subject + verb + indirect object + direct object (S+V+IO+DO)
• Subject + linking verb + subject complement (S+LV+SC)

1. Books convey ideas.

2. Dolphins leap.
3. The pitcher threw the catcher a curve ball.
4. John hates lima beans.
5. The sea is beautiful even in winter.
6. The writer sold his publisher a three-part story.
7. You seem worried.
8. Elizabeth will swim.
 Practice Task
Directions: Label each sentence with its sentence pattern:
• Subject + verb (S+V)
• Subject + verb + direct object (S+V+DO)
• Subject + verb + indirect object + direct object (S+V+IO+DO)
• Subject + linking verb + subject complement (S+LV+SC)

1. Books convey ideas.

2. Dolphins leap.
3. The pitcher threw the catcher a curve ball.
4. John hates lima beans.
5. The sea is beautiful even in winter.
6. The writer sold his publisher a three-part story.
7. You seem worried.
8. Elizabeth will swim.
Pattern 5: The Object Complement
(S-V-O-OC)
 Pattern 5: The Object Complement
(S-V-O-OC)
Subject + Verb + Object + Object Complement

❑The object complement is usually an adjective or a noun phrase.

❑After verbs that refer to thoughts, feelings and opinions (e.g. believe, consider,
feel, know, find, think and understand) to be is sometimes used before the
complement.

I consider the plan to be unwise.

Most people supposed him to be innocent.
They have proved themselves to be worthy of our trust.
I knew him to be conscientious.
 Pattern 5: The Object Complement
(S-V-O-OC)
❑After consider, it is possible to drop to be before adjectives, and sometimes
before nouns.

I considered him an excellent choice.

OR
I considered him to be an excellent choice.
 Practice Task

Identify the Subject, Verb, Direct Object and Object Complement in

the following sentences:

1. They made her upset.

2. He appointed John his assistant.
3. I called my dog Dodo.
4. She made the problem complicated.
 Practice Task

Identify the Subject, Verb, Direct Object and Object Complement in

the following sentences:

1. They made her upset.

2. He appointed John his assistant.
3. I called my dog Dodo.
4. She made the problem complicated.
Prepared by:
Content: Dr. Rey John Villanueva