How to write a sentence in English. Constructing sentences in English

For success in mastering the English language, it is extremely important to understand its peculiarities of the arrangement of words and their order in sentences. It probably seems to you that this is not very simple and that to master their structure you need to memorize a large number of poorly understood rules. Some theoretical knowledge is, of course, necessary, but everything can be explained in an accessible and easily understandable form. We decided to present the topic of constructing English sentences in the most accessible way possible and tried to make familiarization with this material interesting. Let's get started.

Classification of sentence members.

First of all, it is necessary to understand which components consists of a correctly constructed sentence, that is, to clarify the question of which parts of the sentence are necessary for writing or pronouncing it. As you probably guess, any written or spoken sentence must carry a semantic load, and in order to convey it with maximum accuracy, a necessary condition The presence of the main and, providing additional information, non-main members is considered. At a minimum, a sentence written in English must involve two main ones, represented by the subject and the predicate. It is impossible to do without these fundamental components, so we need to look at them more closely.

Members of the sentence

Subject

The subject is one of the most important components of a sentence, which, answering questions such as “who?” and “what?”, draws the main participant. This mission can be performed by pronouns or nouns, as well as proper names. One of the most important features in English it is believed that the location of a word within a sentence determines it functional features. According to the rule, the subject is located before the other main participant in the process, called the predicate.

Predicate

The predicate is another basic or main member that forms the foundation and is responsible for information about the action taking place. The questions that are answered are formulated as “what does it do?” or “what are they doing?” This responsibility is entrusted to verbs. Various designs, used to show grammatical tenses, may require the addition of an auxiliary verb. A simple sentence can consist of a subject and a predicate, with the latter necessarily located later than the first. To decorate the base with details, the participation of other members will be needed.

Addition

An addition is a non-main member of a sentence that answers questions in all cases except the nominative. In sentences they are located after the predicates. There is an additional division: additions that answer the questions “what?” and “who?”, which corresponds to accusative case, are classified as direct, and all the rest are classified as indirect.

Definition

Definitions are words that appear immediately before subjects or objects and provide answers to types of questions such as “which?” or “whose?”, reveal their qualities.

Circumstance

Circumstances can find a place at the beginning and end of sentences. Sometimes they can squeeze between the main members. They tell how, why, where or when the described action happened or is happening.

For greater clarity, we will illustrate everything using examples.

Examples of subjects expressed by nouns:

A snake – snakes;

A musician – musicians;

A building – buildings.

The nouns on the left are singular, and the nouns on the right are plural.

It should be remembered that the presence of articles introduces some additional difficulties and indefinite article before nouns in plural it can't be.

We have already mentioned that it is expressed by a verb and can be of two types:

• Auxiliary verb. This part of speechused to express time.And this is a very important point if necessarydraw upoffers for English . Auxiliary verb toBut it does not have such a meaning in itself and is not translated into Russian in any way. However, his presence is necessary if the temporary form requires it.

Example:

ForPresent Simple– do / does;

ForPast Perfect – had;

ForFuture Continuous – will be.

• Main or semantic verb. It is used to indicate the actions of the subject.

Example:

Sheruns. ​

Wewent. ​

Definition

Can be represented by a variety of parts of speech. Let's look at the most popular options:

Adjective

Nice- Cute;

Brave- brave.

Communion

Sold– sold;

Crying- crying.

Participial phrase

madeofplastic – mademade of plastic;

laughingout loud –loudlaughing.

Numerals

First- first;

Thirty- thirty.

Nouns in the possessive case, etc.

Nick's- Nika;

Diana's- Diana.

You're probably interestedhow to build sentences in Englishwith the definition, and what place it occupies in it. This part of speech can come before the subject or before the object. Let's look at examples so that the scheme of this proposal becomes clear.

1. Herwavyhairissobeautiful. – Her wavy hair is so beautiful.

2. Ireadagreatbook. – I read a wonderful book.

It should be noted thathow to construct a sentence in English, if the definition is expressed by a participial phrase. In this case, it always comes after the subject or object.

For example:

The girl speaking on stage is my sister.​

The girl performing on stage is my sister.

Addition

Always comes after the predicate. There are two types of add-ons:

1. Direct(answering questions in the accusative case):

Isawher. ​

I saw her.

2. Indirect(all others):

We are proud of you.​

We are proud of you.

If both additions occur in a sentence at once, then the direct one always comes first, and only after it comes the indirect one.

Circumstance

It denotes place, time, cause, etc.

The circumstance is expressed:

Adverb (today, slowly);

Noun with preposition (inParis, behindthescenes).

It is directly related to the predicate, but can appear at the beginning of a sentence or at its end.

So, we have looked at the components of English sentences.HenceIt's time to move on to the next section. It is here that we will answer the question: “How to make English sentences correctly?" Well, let's get started.

How sentences are built in English: English sentence structure

It is difficult to imagine a student who has never thought abouthow to make sentences in English. And most often this thought caused stupor. We decided to tell you a simple way to understandhow to write sentences in English. This means that after some time you will be able to compose the text yourself. Separately, it should be noted that at the end of the article we have prepared exercises for you to test your knowledge. After going through them, you will be able to find out for yourself whether you have mastered the material and whether you can tellHow is an English sentence constructed?And we move on to the basic rules.

How to write sentences in English?For that, To answer this question, you should familiarize yourself with the structure of English sentences. Namely, with the order of words in them. For example, in Russian we can say the following options: I love you very much, I love you very much, I love you very much. Ahow to writeBy-Englishofferwith these words?Iloveyouverymuch. This way and only this way. In English, words do not change places, but always remain in a certain order. In this regard, this language is much simpler than ours. Meanwhile, we found the first answer to the questionhow to build sentences in English. And it consists in the fact that they are built according to a scheme specified by the rules. This means it’s time to study and remember these schemes. Let's go.

How to write a sentence in Englishin the affirmative

We have already said that all expressions and sentences are constructed according to a certain pattern. Below we will give an exampleEnglishhow to make a proposalsimple plan and affirmative form.

The standard diagram looks like this:

Subject + predicate + addition + circumstance

My little sister will visit me in three days.

However, sometimes the adverbial is at the beginning of the word and then the diagram looks like this:

Circumstance+ subject +predicate+ addition.

YesterdayIlearnedEnglishwords.

Below we provide examples of howhow to write a sentence in English correctlyin an affirmative form.

1. Yesterday I bought a Lego construction set to my nephew.

2. We'll go home after training.

3. He is trying to find this spelling rule.

4. I have no idea how to learn to play the guitar.

How to write a sentence in Englishin a negative form

In order to turn a statement into a negation, you should use a particlenotto the auxiliary verb. By the way, exactly auxiliary verb is prerequisite this category of offers. In all other respects, the scheme is identical to the first option:

Subject + auxiliary verb withnot+ main verb + object + adverbial.

My little sister willnotvisit me in three days.

Or

Circumstance+ subject + auxiliary verb + main verb + object. in interrogative form

The word order in a simple question remains the same, only the auxiliary verb comes first. Accordingly, the scheme of such a proposal:

Auxiliary verb + subject + semantic verb + object + adverbial.

Did they go fishing the day before yesterday? -Theywalkedonfishingday before yesterday?

Many people are probably interested inhow to make a sentence in English from wordswhen, whatetc. You probably know that these words appear in a number of interrogative sentences. So, they are put in first place, leaving the rest unchanged. As a result, we get the following questions:

Whatdoyouthinkaboutourpresident?

When did she move to her parents?

If we are dealing with dividing questions, then the sentence looks like this:

They will not agree with their terms, will they?

As you can see, in this version it is worth moving away from the usual pattern of negative sentences. Dividing questions consist of an affirmation or denial in the first part and a short answer in the second.

We have looked at the options for forming sentences in English and we hope we have answered all your questions. As you can see, this topic turned out to be easier than you thought. All we have to do is wish you good luck in mastering the English language and remind you that below we have prepared exercises for you to do on your own.

Exercises for consolidation

1. Make up three affirmative sentences in which the circumstance comes first.

_______

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Make up sentences using the combinations of words below:

onSaturday night, didn't see, at the party, you, I

____________________________________________________

aletter to her parents, Ann, writes, every week

____________________________________________________

hisname, after a few minutes, I, remembered

____________________________________________________

3. Put the sentences in interrogative and negative forms:

You have brought something for us.

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

There are some tall trees in front of their house.

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

There are some good book shops in our district.

______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

A well-written sentence is the basis for both good writing in general and epistolary communication. There are several rules, as well as several types of sentences, that a writer must keep in mind in order to achieve excellent results in his work. Once you grasp the basics of sentence writing, you will be on your way to becoming an excellent writer.

Steps

Getting to Know the Basics Before Writing

Make sure the sentence expresses the complete idea. A sentence is a collection of words that together express a complete thought that has some meaning. As you write, it's a good idea to reread your sentence out loud and ask yourself, "Does this sentence make sense? Does it express the full idea?"

• For example, "Eggs near the river" is not a sentence because it does not express the full idea.
• "I ate eggs near a river yesterday" is a sentence because it has a clear, complete meaning.
• "Because I ate eggs" is fragment sentence because it is not complete. “Because” is a cause-and-effect connection, but in itself it does not carry any meaning.
• "Because I ate eggs near a river, I got wet" is a sentence because it establishes a complete cause-and-effect relationship with the word "because."

1. Use correct punctuation. In English, sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark. A grammatically correct sentence may end with a period(.), question mark(?) or exclamation mark(!). Punctuation marks indicate to the reader the end of a sentence and the intonation with which it should be read.

   • An exclamation point expresses surprise, while a question mark indicates doubt or curiosity.

2. Use subject and predicate. The subject is the person or thing being discussed in the sentence. A predicate is a word that expresses an action performed by the subject.

   Writing simple sentences

   1. Define a simple sentence. A simple sentence is the most important basis. It includes a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought. It is also called the main clause because it stands on its own. For example: "Janet writes."

      Make simple sentences a little more informative. You can add direct or not direct object to add more information to your proposals. Here is an example: "Janet writes romance novels."

      • The phrase "romance novels" is a direct object in in this example. This is what Janet writes. It comes out of the actions of the predicate.
      • Simple sentences can also have a compound subject or a compound predicate.
        • Example of a compound subject: "Janet and Sujata write romance novels." "Janet and Sujata" is a compound subject because the action is performed by two people.
        • Example of a compound predicate: "Janet writes and publishes romance novels." Janet does two things, writes and publishes, which means it is a compound predicate.

   2. Try writing a simple sentence. When you write your own simple sentence, start with the subject. Think about what the proposal will be about. Then you take a verb. To do this, decide what the subject will do. Will it walk, run, read, sit, cook, or do anything else?

      Pay attention to the singular and plural subjects and predicates. When choosing a subject or predicate, make sure the two words agree in number. The rule is that a singular subject requires a singular predicate, and a plural subject requires a plural predicate.

      • An example of a singular subject: "My son is a doctor."
      • Example of a plural subject: "My sons are doctors."

   Writing compound sentences

   1. Define a compound sentence. It consists of two simple sentences. They are separated by a comma (,), followed by one of the seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. To remember them, use the FANBOYS mnemonic code. Below are examples of compound sentences. Pay attention to the connecting conjunctions.

      • He was happy, for he just passed his exam.
      • The road was long, and we could not see the end.
      • She was not wrong, nor was she entirely right.
      • She would have fallen, but for Sally's help.
      • Deon is smart, or Deon is lucky.
      • I am eating steak, yet I really wanted lamb.
      • Jack was wet, so he changed his clothes.

   2. Try writing a complex sentence. Start by choosing the subject and predicate in the first part, just like you did with the simple sentence. Next, choose the appropriate coordinating conjunction based on the meaning of the sentence. Finally, choose a coherent subject and predicate in the second part of the complex sentence.

      • You may want to use "and" to express a continuation of thought or meaning, or choose "but" as part of an explanation. There are many possibilities.

   3. Pay attention to meanings when writing compound sentences. In this type of sentence, you can expand the meaning widely, unlike a simple sentence. Make sure that the second part develops or complements the idea expressed in the first part.

   Writing complex sentences

   Define a complex sentence. It consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause. A subordinate clause is a group of words that consist of a subject and a predicate, but do not express a complete thought on their own. In other words, a subordinate clause is not a simple sentence. There are several words called subordinating conjunctions. They indicate the beginning of a subordinate clause.

   Combine the subordinate clause with the main clause. Please note that although the above examples have a subject and a predicate, they do not express the complete idea. To express the whole idea, the subordinate clause must be connected to the main one. Here are some examples.

   • Because Yao shares his books, he is kind. -or- Yao is kind because he shares his books.
   • Before eating my breakfast, I have to walk my dog. -or- I have to walk my dog ​​before eating breakfast.
   • Until I have more money, I won"t be able to buy an engagement ring. -or- I won"t be able to buy an engagement ring until I have more money.

   1. Try writing a complex sentence. When writing a complex sentence, you need to combine the main clause and the subordinate clause. Make sure you use a subordinate clause to explain what happened in the main clause.

      Use complex sentences to better explain your thoughts. Complex sentences are useful because they often indicate clear and precise relationships between parts of the sentences. For example, "before" tells readers that the dog needs to be walked before eating breakfast, "because" helps explain why Yao is kind.

      Create recurring offers. They begin with a subordinate clause and end with a main clause. You don't need to put a comma before the subordinate clause if the main clause comes first. Commas are used only when the subordinate clause serves as an introduction to the main clause.

      • Periodic clauses are good for building tension or interest because the main meaning or idea will come at the end, after the subordinate clause.
      • For example: "As I sat waiting in traffic, I realized I would be late for class."

   Common Mistakes

   1. Look for incomplete sentences. This is a case where the subordinate clause stands on its own. This also happens if the sentence is missing a subject or predicate. Here are some examples of incomplete sentences:

   2. Avoid overlaps. So-called stuck sentences are when you use more than one main clause (a sentence with a subject and predicate that expresses a complete idea).

      • For example: "I went to the store I got bread and milk." Every part I went to the store And I got bread and milk has a subject and a predicate, and expresses a complete, clear idea.
      • You can correct stuck sentences in several ways. You can separate them using a semicolon, comma, or conjunction. Or make two separate sentences from them:
        • I went to the store; I got bread and milk. A semicolon indicates close relationships between clauses.
        • I went to the store, and I got bread and milk. A conjunction indicates less similarity between sentences than a semicolon, but it does indicate that they are related by the same idea.
        • I went to the store. I got bread and milk. A complete disjunction indicates that the sentences are not connected in any way.

   3. Check the comma splices. This is due to stuck sentences because both connect the main parts incorrectly. Splitting a comma is a very common mistake and is considered one of the top mistakes teachers highlight.

      • Example: "I texted my friend, she didn"t reply."
        • Both clauses are main clauses because they have a subject and predicate that express the complete idea.
      • You can fix a spliced ​​comma the same way you fix a spliced ​​sentence:
        • Using a semicolon: "I texted my friend; she didn"t reply."
        • Using a comma and a connecting conjunction: "I texted my friend, but she didn"t reply."
        • Separating two sentences: "I texted my friend. She didn"t reply."

   4. Stick to parallel connections. If you have quite complex sentence, you can easily get confused by the nouns and verbs in it. If you don't stick to parallel structure, your sentence will be difficult to read and will also lose a lot of its meaning.

      • For example, this sentence lacks a parallel structure: "I enjoy fishing, swimming, and hiking."
        • It's better to use all the verbs in one form: "I enjoy fishing, swimming, and hiking."
      • This can be a serious problem if the sentence has many parts. For example: "My teacher told me that I should submit my essay on time, that I should proofread it carefully before turning it in, and to not email her the night before."
        • Better to keep a single structure: "My teacher told me that I should submit my essay on time, that I should proofread it carefully before turning it in, and that I should not email her the night before."

   5. Change sentence structure. A common mistake for new writers or people still learning a language is to write all sentences in a single, basic structure. Different types of sentences will make your writing smoother and more enjoyable to read.

      • For example, consider the following repetitions: "I saw a zombie. I started to run. I tripped over a rock. I got up again. I kept running." All of these sentences have the same word order (subject-predicate-direct object) and begin with the same subject.
      • Now look at the modified version: "I saw a zombie and started to run, but I tripped over a rock. Panicked, I picked up myself up and kept running."
   • Don't start a sentence with "Which."
   • Simple sentences with one subject can be combined into a complex sentence.
   • A simple clause is also called a main clause.
   • Mixing up sentence types will make your writing more interesting. Too many simple sentences are not interesting to read!

Problems often arise when translating sentences from Russian into English. Most often this happens due to the difference between these languages, which is clearly manifested in the order of words in a sentence.

Word order in an English sentence

The word order in an English sentence is not exactly the same as in Russian.
In Russian, word order is not fixed, plus you can easy to omit subject or predicate(that is, the one who performs the action or who is in question, and the action itself). Thus, in the sentence “I am a student” there is no verb (predicate) at all, and in the sentence “Sunny” there is neither a verb nor a noun.
In English, on the contrary, there must always be both a subject and a predicate.

How to write a sentence in English

Let’s translate the sentence “I am a teacher” into English word for word: we get “I teacher.” But we know that an English sentence must have a subject and a predicate. “I” is the subject, the one we are talking about, everything is fine here, but the verb (predicate) in this sentence is just missing. Then we get “I am a teacher”, where am is exactly the verb we need. That is, if you translate this sentence literally into Russian, you get "I be a teacher" or "I am a teacher".

“You are a teacher” will be translated as “You are a teacher”, which literally means "You are the teacher". Here the verb is the word are.

Forms of the verb to be

In fact, “am” and “are” are forms of the same verb: “to be” bi (which translates as “to be, to appear”), but the present tense forms of this verb are not at all similar to it.

Conjugation table for the verb to be

Let's look at the table and imagine everything in a two-column system. With “I” to be turns into “am” ([əm] em). With “he/she/it” - in “is” ([ɪz] from), and for “we/you/they” the form “are” ([ɑː] а) is used. Thus,

I am a student. I am a student.
You are a student. You are a student.
He is a student. He is a student.
She is a student. She is a student.

We are students. We are students.
You are students. You are students.
They are students. They are students.

It’s easy to remember these forms, because there are only three of them: with I – am, with he/she/it – is, for everything else – are. And don't forget this Not different verbs , these are forms of the same verb to be.

Making a sentence with nouns

With pronouns, forms of the verb to be are remembered for simplicity, but there may be other words in their place. For example, "Mike is a student" Let's translate it as “Mike is a student”, because Mike is he (he), and with he we use the is form. Using the same logic we translate "This boy is a student" like "This boy is a student". Another example: “Children at home” will be translated as “Children are at home”, because children are they, and with them we use form are. "Mike and Monica are students" let's translate it as "Mike and Monika are students", because Mike and Monica together are also “they”.

Knowing this, you will be able to easily compose simple sentences in English. The main thing to remember is that if there is no verb in Russian, it should still be in English, and most likely it will be the verb to be.

Let's make a sentence from words

We have come up with interactive exercises for making sentences from words try

Exercise to consolidate the material (interrogative sentences)

You need to make sentences from English words. After which you will find out its translation. Words can be dragged with the mouse or finger (on smartphones)

New York is a great city

New York- great city!

The students in my class are really friendly

The students in my class are really friendly.

I am with my friend Pedro in this photo

In this photo I am with my friend Pedro.

He is a teacher at a language school

Dear students and parents, we have prepared an English lesson for you that will help you understand the basic rules when constructing an English sentence. First, we will look at the types of sentences based on the verbs used, and then we will learn how to construct affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences. At the end of the article there are tables that you can save and print to use as visual material.

Types of offers.

There are two types of sentences in English: with a regular verb denoting an action, feeling or state, and with a connective verb to be. Now we will tell you what the difference is. If in Russian we use a verb, then in English we will also use a verb. For example, “I go to school” - here the verb “go”, which in English sounds like “go”. We put this verb in an English sentence: “I go to school.” If in Russian there is no verb, or rather, there is a verb “is”, which according to the rules of the Russian language is omitted (The weather is good - The weather is good), then in English this place is replaced by the verb to be, which is translated as “there is” "to be", "to exist". In other words, in Russian we often use sentences without a verb, in English this is impossible!

Let's first consider sentences with ordinary verbs; they have one trick - in the third person singular, the ending -s or -es must be added to the verb. The third person singular is a noun meaning he, she or it, that is, not you or me, but someone else alone. At first glance, this seems complicated and incomprehensible, but in fact, this rule makes learning English very easy! In English there is no person conjugation of verbs. Look how difficult the Russian language is and how much easier English is:

I I'm walking to school. I go to school.

Vasya (he) walks to school. Vasya goes to school.

Nastya (her) walks to school. Nastya goes to school.

They walk to school. They go to school.

We let's go to school. We go to school.

While in Russian the verb endings actively change according to persons: I go, walks, walk, walk, in English only in the third person singular (he and she) the ending –es appeared. If the verb ends with a consonant, then –s is added (swim – swim s), and if on a vowel, then –es (go – go es).

Let's look at examples with the verb to be. If in Russian we do not use a verb (that is, we omit the verb “is”), then in English translation the verb to be appears. Katya (yes) beautiful girl. In Russian there is no verb, in English the verb to be appears in the form is: Katya is a beautiful girl.

The difficulty is that the verb to be has three forms that you need to know by heart:

1. am– we use it when we talk about ourselves: I (am) a schoolboy. I am a pupil
2. is– we use the third person singular (he, she, it): Katya (she) is a beautiful girl. Katya is a beautiful girl.
3. are– used in the plural or in the second person (we, they, you, you): Vanya and Petya (they) best friends. Vanya and Petya are best friends.

Affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.

Let us remember once again that in English there are two types of sentences: with a regular verb, which has a corresponding translation into Russian, and with the verb to be, which is omitted in Russian. These two types of sentences have different structures. Let's start with the verb to be. Let's look at the same examples, but in different forms: affirmative, interrogative and negative. Read carefully the Russian sentences and their translation into English, try to determine the pattern.

I'm a schoolboy. I am a pupil.

Am I a schoolboy? Am I'm a pupil?

I'm not a schoolboy. I am not a pupil.

Katya is a beautiful girl. Katya is a beautiful girl

Katya is a beautiful girl? Is Katya a beautiful girl?

Katya is an ugly girl. Katya is not a beautiful girl.

Vanya and Petya are best friends. Vanya and Petya are best friends.

Vanya and Petya are best friends? Are Vanya and Petya best friends?

Vanya and Petya are not best friends. Vanya and Petya are not best friends.

So, in an affirmative sentence in English there is a strict word order: subject (main noun), predicate (verb), minor members offers. If in Russian we can change the order of words as we please, while changing the meaning and emotional coloring, then in English this is strictly prohibited, they will not understand you. In Russian we say: “I love you”, “I love you” or “I love you” and so on, but in English there is only one option: “I love you” and nothing else. The same in the given examples: Katya is a beautiful girl. Where Katya is the subject, there is no predicate in the Russian language (it could be the verb “is”), a beautiful girl are the minor members of the sentence. In an English sentence: Katya is the subject, is is the predicate, and a beautiful girl are the minor members of the sentence. Hence two rules:

1. When building interrogative sentence in English the predicate (verb) comes first.
2. When building negative sentence the negative particle not is added to the predicate (verb).

Now let's look at sentences with ordinary verbs, read the examples carefully:

I go to school. I go to school.

Do I go to school? Do I go to school.

I don't go to school. I don't go to school.

Nastya goes to school. Nastya goes to school.

Does Nastya go to school? Does Nastya go to school?

Nastya does not go to school. Nastya doesn't go to school.

The principle is the same as in sentences with the verb to be, only instead of rearranging the verb itself, we have the so-called auxiliary verb to do. Why auxiliary? Because it helps us build the necessary sentence structure and grammar. Thus, when asking a question, it is not the main verb to go that comes first, but the auxiliary verb to do. When negated, the particle not is attached not directly to the main verb, but to the emerging verb to do. In addition, the verb to do always takes over the entire grammar of the main verb. In the second example, the verb to do took on the ending –es, which is given to the third person singular. Please note that the ending of the main verb has disappeared because the auxiliary verb has taken it away.

Let us summarize the information received. To construct a sentence in English, we first need to identify the verb. There are two options: a regular verb that has an analogue in English, denoting an action, feeling or state, or a verb to be, is to exist, which cannot be translated into Russian. Next, if this is an ordinary verb, you need to determine whether the ending will be –es (third person singular); if this is a verb to be, then you need to determine its form (am, is, are). We choose the necessary form of the sentence: affirmative, interrogative, negative. And we put everything in its place!

We use generally accepted abbreviations:

I am - i a m - I'm

he is - he i s - he's

she is - she i s - she's

it is - it i s - it's

they are – they a re – they’re

we are - we a re - we're

you are - you a re - you’re

do not - don o t - don’t

does not - doesn't o t - doesn't

Interesting fact: In affirmative sentences with a regular verb, the auxiliary verb to do is also sometimes used. It adds persuasiveness and firmness to the proposal. For example:

I go to school. I go to school.

I have to go to school! I actually go to school!

You can choose the training course that suits you on ours!

In the photo - teacher language school OkiDoki Oksana Igorevna

Typical sentence in English different from Russian in strict order words Arbitrary rearrangements are highly undesirable. Although some authors change correct sequence to impress readers and listeners. This applies to fiction writers and park speakers. But for ordinary people, even at home, it is better to avoid deviations from standards. Moreover, they are still just learning a foreign language. First, you should get used to composing English sentences as needed, then, if desired, allow some liberties.

Simple sentences in English

Simplicity denotes completeness of thought, a single action performed by an actor, including an inspiritual one or a whole group of people. Unity in in this case– a purely grammatical category, regardless of the diverse reality. Simple sentence in English(Simple Sentence) contains a maximum of one subject (Subject) and predicate (Predicate). Or does not contain it explicitly at all, the main members are implied from the previous context. No semicolons, transitions from one thought to another through a comma, and excursions and explanations with the conjunction “what.” The phrase has a clear semantic focus: a narrative, a question, an incentive or an exclamation. This is emphasized by punctuation marks in writing or voice intonation during oral pronunciation.

Simple sentences in English are divided into non-common and common. Both one and the other are divided into the following types:

• two-member;
• one-member.

In two-part ones there can be a subject and a predicate together, these are called complete:

– The baby is smiling.

In incomplete ones there is only a subject:

– My parents, of course;

or just the predicate:

– Swimming in the sea.

One-piece sentence in English– a specific type, where the main member cannot be clearly attributed to the subject or predicate . It is expressed by a noun or verbal infinitive. For example: – To stay here? – stay here? – Summer! - summer!

Unexpanded offers

Unextended Sentence contains only a grammatical basis - a subject with a predicate, and not always completely, as in the above incomplete ones. There are no additions, circumstances or definitions. Example: – I am sleeping. Here the speaker does not specify where and when he sleeps, in what environment.

Common offers

Extended Sentence consists of a base and secondary members related to it:

• definitions (Attributes);
• additions (Objects);
• circumstances (Adverbials).

The definition clarifies the subject (subject) and describes its characteristics. Expressed in one or more words belonging to a variety of parts of speech, most often adjectives. Situated before or immediately after the subject.

– Very little child can't eat much.

– Something unusual had happened to them.

Definitions slightly violate the usual word order, with the subject first, then the predicate, then the minor members, except for adverbials, which can actually appear anywhere.

Additions can be direct or indirect. Direct denotes the object on which the action is performed. Used without prepositions before it. In Russian it is usually translated in the accusative case.

– We have bought a car .

– You are doing exercises .

The indirect object is translated in the dative, instrumental or prepositional case. Appears in complex speech constructions, where, in addition to actor(subject) and the main subject (object), a “third party” is also involved. If indirect object without the particle to, then it is placed before the direct one, used with it comes after the direct one.

– Professor gave books to the students .

– Professor gave them books.

Circumstances determine the time and place, the conditions in which events occur. They usually contain prepositions, although they can be expressed in just one word. Circumstances include English sentences in different places:

• before the subject - In the evening she was reading;
• after additions – He had finished his work at the library ;
• between the auxiliary verb and the main verb – They have already completed their homework.

In the latter case, as a rule, short adverbs are used.

Personal offers

In Personal Sentence, the subject is a specific person or thing: "I", "my friend", "fast car". Expressed by a pronoun or noun with modifiers.

If the subject is already clear from the previous context, it may be absent explicitly. All the same, such English sentences are considered personal. For example: – I wrote the letter. Then subscribed it.

Vaguely personal proposals

Indefinite-personal contain one ( singular) or they (plural).

– One may not enter this room – you cannot enter this room;

- They say, next summer will be wet - they say, next summer will be wet.

Impersonal offers

Impersonal sentences in English are composed with the formal subject it, since the subject cannot be completely absent, as happens in Russian.

– It is snowing outdoors – it’s snowing outside.

– It becomes dark – it becomes dark.

- It seems - it seems.

Types of sentences in English

Offers are of the following types:

• narrative - ends with a period;
• interrogatives - end with a question mark;
• exclamation marks - end with an exclamation mark;
• incentive, or imperative - usually also with an exclamation at the end.

Declarative sentences

In a declarative sentence in English, the word order is straight.

Types

• Affirmative.
• Negative.

Affirmative, in fact, have already been discussed earlier. In negatives there should be only one negation, not like in Russian, with a double one often occurring. The particle not comes after the modal (auxiliary) verb. In everyday conversations, abbreviated forms with continuous pronunciation are widely used: isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't, wouldn't, don't, doesn't, didn't, haven't, hasn't ,hadn't, cann't, shouldn't.

Examples

– He is a good student – ​​statement.

– He isn’t a good student – ​​denial.

With the word "No":

– No rival could win him.

– There is no newspaper on the desk.

In addition to “No” and “not”, nobody, none, no one, nothing, neither (nor), nowhere are used for negation. These words should also not be duplicated.

Exclamatory sentences

Exclamative Sentences express strong emotions and are spoken loudly and clearly.

Types

They can be combined with a question, then at the end there is a question mark before the exclamation mark, and at the beginning one of the characteristic words: What, Where, When, How...

Examples

- Shut up! - shut your mouth!

– What is this?! – what is this?!

Interrogative sentences

An interrogative sentence in English is characterized by an increase in the timbre of the voice from beginning to end.

Types

• General.
• Special.

A general question is asked without using question words. The auxiliary verb comes first. Special question begins with the words “who”, “what”, “where”, “when”, “how”...

Examples

– Who is there?

– Do you like roast beef?

Imperative (incentive) sentences

Imperative Sentence is close to an exclamation, but instead of a passive expression of emotions, it encourages active action, more or less politely. There may not be an exclamation point at the end unless it is a sharp order. Since the interlocutor is known, the pronoun You is often skipped, violating the classical word order .

Types

• Affirmative.
• Negative.

A command aimed at third parties, as well as expressing a gentle request or offer of help, usually begins with the verb let. Negative imperatives sentences in English always begin with the verb do.

Examples

- Listen to me.

- Don't touch me.

- Let him go away.

– Let’s play!!

Let's in the last example is an abbreviation of let us. The full form is almost never included in English sentences, unless they want to surprise their interlocutor with royal courtesy.

Bottom line

Having considered various sentences in the English language, it is useful to practice composing them. The correct word order requires special attention. Although in real life There are many exceptions, both generally accepted and those invented to make the phrase unusual. A person who simply wants to speak with foreigners needs only the most general knowledge of sentences. But a linguistic student needs to learn to accurately identify grammatical structures, distinguish between complex predicates, adverbials, additions and definitions. Sometimes this requires a lot of work. But having gained experience, it is no longer possible to make mistakes in your speech. A demanding teacher will give you a high grade, and foreign acquaintances will be delighted.

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