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10 Sentence Structure

Updated 4 Oct 2026

Finite Verbs and Verb Phrases

The finite verb/verb phrase is the driver of English sentence structure.

What is Finite?

  • Requires a subject (explicit or implicit)
  • Usually expresses one of the twelve tenses

Types of Subjects

  • Explicit: We can see the subject
    • Example: "We" in "We can see the subject"
  • Implicit: Subject is implied
    • Example: "See the subject?" ("You" is implied)

Main Verb vs Verb Phrase

  • Verb: We see the subject (main verb only)
  • Verb phrase:
    • We can see the subject (modal auxiliary verb + main verb)
    • We have seen the subject (auxiliary + main verb)

Non-finite Verbs

These are words that look like verbs but usually take a secondary position in the sentence.

Examples

  • Gerund: Swimming is healthy (Takes subject position)
  • Infinitive: I like to eat (Takes object position)
  • Past participle: We are disappointed (Takes complement position)

Key Point

  • Non-finite verbs are NOT the driving force behind sentences
  • The finite verbs are the drivers: is, like, are

How to Apply This to Your Writing

CHOOSE YOUR VERB FIRST AND KNOW YOUR VERB!

  1. Choose your verb
  2. Ask yourself what it needs:
    • Explicit (usually) or implicit subject (especially for imperatives/orders)
    • Object (transitive verbs) or complement?
  3. Then add modifiers and/or connectors:
    • Conjunctions
    • Relative pronouns etc. to another part of the sentence
  4. If you add a conjunction that requires a new verb:
    • Start the process again for that part of the sentence

Example 1: Intransitive Verb

  1. I choose the verb "to sleep"
  2. I want to make it finite, so it needs a subject (implicit or explicit)
  3. It's intransitive, so it does NOT need an object
  4. Now I know I can say "I was sleeping" and have a grammatically complete sentence
    • Q: What were you doing at 3am yesterday?
    • A: "I was sleeping."

Example 2: Transitive Verb

  1. I choose the verb "kick"
  2. I want to make it finite, so it needs a subject (implicit or explicit)
  3. It's transitive so it needs an object
  4. So, I can say "I kicked the ball" and know I have a complete sentence
  5. This is just a basic building block and can be expanded:
    • [Yesterday] I kicked the ball {hard} {while playing football with my friends} etc.
  6. Important: Get the basics right before you expand
    • Don't translate directly from your native language
    • Understand how English works!

Question


What do you mean you want to make it transitive, don’t verbs already have like their nature whether it’ll be intransitive or transitive?

SVO Language

English is an SVO (Subject, Verb, Object) language

Basic Structure

  • Subject (e.g. "I")
  • Verb (e.g. "Like")
  • Object (e.g. "Ice Cream")

Everything else can be considered a variation on this form.

Variation 1: SVC

SVC = Subject, Verb, Complement

A simple variation is to change the object to a complement.

Examples

  • "I" (Subject) + "am" (Verb 'to be') + "a student" (Complement)
  • "I" (Subject) + "am" (Verb) + "happy" (Complement)

Complement กลับไปเติมเต็ม subject มันไม่ใช่ object ไง

Object vs Complement

Object

  • We normally direct an action to an OBJECT
  • It takes the action of a verb
  • Examples:
    • We like ice cream
    • We kick the ball
    • We study English

Complement

  • Necessary to complete the meaning of a verb or subject
  • Describes something about it OR identifies it as something
  • Examples:
    • The apple is red ("Red" describes the apple)
    • My friend is a football player ("A football player" identifies my friend)

Same Verb, Different Structure

Sometimes the same verb can take an object or a complement:

  • I felt the cushion (SVO) (describes what I did or an action)
  • I felt sad (SVC) (describes my feeling or state)

Exercise: Identifying Objects and Complements

For the following sentences, identify if the basic form is SVO or SVC:

  1. I play basketball (SVO)
  2. I am a basketball player (SVC)
  3. We carried the bags (SVO)
  4. They will try it (SVC) (SVO)
  5. She feels confident (SVC)
  6. I have read many books (SVO)
  7. I became an engineer (SVC)
  8. I started the engine (SVO)

More Common Structures

SV (Intransitive Verbs)

Some verbs do not require an object or a complement.

  • The sun rose
  • I will succeed!
  • She won

SVOO (Two Objects)

Some verbs can use two objects (direct and indirect):

  • I gave my dog {INDIRECT OBJECT} the food {DIRECT OBJECT}
  • He is teaching us {INDIRECT OBJECT} English {DIRECT OBJECT}

SVOC (Object + Complement)

Some verbs can use an object AND a complement:

  • We painted the room [OBJECT] yellow [COMPLEMENT]

SVOC, C ต้อง describe O นะ

Exercise: Identifying Basic Common Structures

Identify whether the following structures are SVO, SVC, SV, SVOO, or SVOC:

  1. She bought the cat a toy (SVOC SVOO)
  2. We fed the cat (SVO)
  3. The cat feels tired (SVC)
  4. The cat chased the mouse (SVO)
  5. The cat is a Tabby (SVC)
  6. The cat rested (SV)
  7. He made the cat annoyed (SVOC)
  8. We love our cat! (SVO)

Practice: Write Your Own!

  1. SVO: I love you.
  2. SVC: I am Google.
  3. SV: Tide rises up.
  4. SVOO: He is listening to a song.
  5. SVOC: I gave an album a listen.
    • I dyed my hair blue.
    • The ink turned my shirt black.

Other Structures: SVA and SVOA

SVA (Subject, Verb, Adverb/Adverbial)

  • An adverb (or adverbial) is NEEDED to complete the sense of the verb in an SV sentence
  • Example: "I went there"
    • Just saying "I went" sounds unnatural and incomplete (unlike "I slept")
  • Comparison:
    • "What did you do yesterday?" → "I slept" ✓ OK
    • "What did you do yesterday?" → "I went" ✗ Not OK

SVOA (Subject, Verb, Object, Adverb/Adverbial)

  • An adverb (or adverbial) is NEEDED to complete the sense of the verb in an SVO sentence
  • Example: "I took him there"
    • Just saying "I took him" sounds unnatural (the meaning could be very different!)
    • The meaning is to take someone or something somewhere

Modifiers

Modifiers are OPTIONAL and are not required to complete the sense of the verb.

Key Points

  • We've covered basic forms that help understand the structure of English
  • Very often we also need modifiers (adjectives or adverbs/adverbials) to give more detail
  • Modifiers can go in different positions in the sentence

Modifiers: Examples

How to Modify an SVO Structure

  • I kicked the ball (SVO)
  • I kicked the ball hard (SVO + Adverb)
  • Yesterday, I kicked the ball (Adverb + SVO)
  • I kicked the huge ball (SV + Adjective + O)
  • I kicked the ball against the wall (SVO + Adverbial)

Note on Terminology

  • Adverb: One word (e.g. "yesterday") that describes when, where, or how something happens
  • Adverbial: A phrase (more than one word) that does the same thing

Exercise: Try Using Modifiers!

Add modifiers to give more detail about the following SVO structures:

  1. They helped the old woman (adjective)
  2. My sister had an accident severely (adverb)
  3. We will plant some trees at the end of the garden (adverbial)
  4. She read a boring red book (adjective + adverbial)
  5. She suddenly met her long-lost friend in the morning at the park (adverb + adjective + adverbial)

Summary and Next Steps

Key Takeaways

  • English is a Subject, Verb, Object language
  • Recognize the variations on that pattern
  • Start with the basic structure, then add more detail with modifiers

There is much more to learn, but if you can do what we did so far and remember it, you have made a lot of progress!

Online Exercises

Supplementary Exercise

Partner Activity

Instructions:

  • Go in pairs
  • Make three mixed up sentences
  • Test your friend (they must unmix and identify the structure)

Requirements for Each Sentence:

  • Must have: An SVOO, SVO, SVC, SV, or SVOC structure
  • At least one adverb
  • At least one adverbial
  • At least one adjective
  • Group adverbials together (e.g. /in the park/)

Example

  • Mixed: fed/ in the park/I/ dog / hungry/ the / quickly
  • Answer: I quickly fed the hungry dog in the park (SVO)