Greetings, dear reader.
I'm sure that if I ask you how the word order in a sentence differs in English from his Russian brother, then you won’t be able to really tell me. Well, maybe some of you. Therefore, today I will organize all your knowledge into shelves, tables and diagrams.
What is the main difference
To make everything clear, as for children, let’s look at it right away simple examples. Everyone starts with this, both adults in various courses and children in 2nd grade.
If in Russian we can do whatever we want with a sentence, then in English this will be difficult. For example:
The cat climbed a tree.
A cat climbed a tree.
But look what happens if we do something similar with the English version:
The cat broke the window. - The cat broke the window.
The window broke the cat. - The cat broke the window.
You see, the difference is significant and, to some extent, comical. And the reason is that in the English language the order of words is fixed, and changes are oh so involuntary!
How to write a proposal correctly
The standard word order for a simple sentence is:
- The subject comes first.
- It is followed by a predicate.
- After this comes the addition.
- And finally, the circumstance.
Let's look at examples:
Mother is a doctor.- Mom is a doctor.
Mother
- this is the subject; the one who performs the main action. It comes first.
Is
- this is a predicate. It always comes after the subject.
Doctor
- this is an addition.
Let's look at some more examples.
I (subject) like (predicate) coffee (addition) in the morning (circumstance). - I love coffee in the morning.
We (subject) do (predicate) the job (addition) well (circumstance). - We do a good job.
We bought a beautiful car last week
. - Last week we bought a beautiful car.
I have a concert tomorrow evening
- Tomorrow evening I have a concert.
What to do with time indicators?- you ask. To which I will answer: they can stand like at the beginning, so at the end offers.
I (subject) drink(predicate) coffee (addition) in the morning (time indicator). - I drink coffee in the morning.
In the morning (time indicator) I (subject) go (predicate) jogging (addition). - In the mornings I go for a run.
To help you remember this rule better, I have a table for you that will help you quickly refresh your knowledge at any time.
What to do with questions
For those who are already in 5th grade, the most common mistake incorrect formation becomes. (follow the link to find out more about everything)
The word order in a question sentence depends on the type of sentence you are faced with. If the question is general, that is, it requires only a “yes” or “no” answer, then the words will go into next order:
- Auxiliary verb (for example, Is, Are, Do, Did, Does, Was, Were, Has, Have, Will, etc.).
- Next comes the subject.
- It is followed by the main verb.
- After which all other parts of the sentence are used.
Is (auxiliary verb) John (subject) a student (addition)? - Is John a student?
Do (auxiliary verb) you (subject) drink (main verb) water (addition) in the morning (time circumstance)? - Do you drink water in the morning?
Was (auxiliary verb) he (subject) reading (main verb) a book (addition) last evening (time circumstance)? - Did he read a book last night?
But there are also special questions in the language that require complete answers. The only difference in this case is that before auxiliary verb there is also a question word ( what, when, who, whom, where, which, whose).
What (question word) were (auxiliary verb) you (subject) doing (main verb) lastevening (time circumstance)? - What did you do last night?
Who did you call yesterday? - Who did you call yesterday?
When did you see her for the last time? - When was the last time you saw her?
To remember the information much better, here is a diagram for you that I hope will help you master the rule faster.
Well, my dears, the only thing I have left to tell you is exercises and even more English. Only with constant practice and constant improvement of the language can you achieve good results. After all, we are still at the very beginning of the journey, which can become a starting point for you in beautiful world English speech.
I am sure that many of you would be interested in receiving even more useful information and topics for taking next steps. That's why I created a subscription to my blog's newsletter, where I share the most relevant and useful information. Subscribe and improve day by day.
Until we meet again, my dears.
And now we will look at the basics of composing simple sentences to express past, present and future tenses using examples.
Construction of sentences in the Simple group
Affirmative sentences
Let's start with the Present Simple. All affirmative sentences are constructed according to the following scheme:
- "I'm in in this example is subject. It should not be confused with the complement, since the subject performs the action, and the action is performed on the complement. Moreover, in Russian the order of words is not important to us, because it is already clear who is performing the action. We can freely say: “I eat the cake.” But in English you won’t be able to construct a sentence like this, since the one who performs the action must come first, otherwise they will simply laugh at you when you say: “The cake is eating me.” Even through passive voice such a phrase will sound very strange.
- In second place should be the predicate, which expresses the action itself. In the Russian language, there are often sentences with an incomplete grammatical basis, where there is no subject or predicate, or both are absent. In the latter case, we are dealing with an impersonal sentence: “It’s dark.” In English there must always be a subject and a predicate. So, if there is no verb in a Russian sentence, then it will definitely appear in English. Let's take for example one-part sentence, in which there is no predicate: “The telephone is on the table.” To translate it correctly, we will need to use the verb “to be”, which will connect the subject with the predicate. As a result, the phrase will literally be translated as: “The phone is on the table.”
- In third place, the secondary members of the sentence are lined up according to a certain rule: first comes the direct object (answers the question “who?”, “what?”, “who?”), then the indirect object (answers the same questions, but with the prepositions “with whom?” ?”, “to whom?”, etc.). This rule is not always observed and is not strict.
As in Russian, English verbs vary depending on the person. The main changes occur in the 3rd person singular(he, she, it), where the suffix “s” or “es” is added to the predicate. As a result, we get the sentence: “He goes to school.”
Negative sentences
In addition to affirmation, there is also negation, the diagram of which looks like this:
In this scheme, all the same components are found, except for the linking verb “do” and the particle “not”, which is equivalent to the negative particle “not” in Russian. What is an auxiliary verb and why is it needed? Unlike the Russian language, where we simply put the particle “not” before the verb, in English there must be an auxiliary verb before the particle “not”. It is different for each tense, and in the case of the Present Simple it will take the form of either “do” or “does” depending on the number and person of the subject. Example: “She does not go to school.”
Interrogative sentences
So, we have considered the affirmation, the negation, and we are left with a question, the formation of which also requires an auxiliary verb:
So, we have discussed with you the basic principles of construction various types sentences in Present Simple. Past Simple And Future Simple are constructed in a similar way, the main differences will be in the form of the auxiliary verb.
Constructing sentences in the Future Simple
Statement
The scheme for constructing a statement in the simple future tense (Future Simple) is as follows:
Auxiliary verb will indicates that the action takes place in the future tense, and the phrase will be translated as: “I will go to school.”
Negation
Negation is constructed using the already familiar particle “not” and the auxiliary verb “will”.
Question
Any question begins with an auxiliary verb, so when constructing a question we simply put will in first place.
Past Simple
Statement
When constructing a statement in the past tense of the Simple group, there is small feature: The suffix “ed” is added to the verb.
I specifically omitted the example with school because it uses an irregular verb. Most verbs form the simple past tense by adding the suffix “ed” to the base (cook - cooked), but there are about 470 verbs, according to the Oxford Dictionary, that form the past tense according to their own canons. Our verb “go” also falls into their number, which will change its form to “went”: “I went to school.”
Negation
Negation in the simple past tense is constructed similarly to the Present Simple, with the only difference being that the form of the auxiliary verb “do” acquires the past “did”.
Question
The question is also constructed by analogy with the Present Simple. We only change the form of the auxiliary verb to the past.
So we studied the construction of sentences in the entire Simple group. The main thing is to remember the patterns for all three types (affirmation, negation and question), do not forget how word forms change for verbs in the 3rd person singular and memorize the main ones irregular verbs to achieve automaticity in speech.
Construction of sentences in the Continuous group
In the Continuous group there is always an auxiliary verb “to be”, the change in form of which will tell us when the action occurs: yesterday, now or tomorrow. In this group, the participle I is also always present, similar to the real participle in the Russian language. The participle itself is constructed by adding the suffix “ing” to the verb (go - going).
Statement
Let's not deviate from the structure and consider the formation of time in the Present Continuous.
The forms of the verb “to be” change depending on the person, and here the matter is not limited to changes only in the 3rd person singular. You just need to remember the forms.
In the past tense, the auxiliary verb changes its form to “was” or were” depending on the person and number.
The sentence construction scheme in the Past Continuous will be as follows:
The future tense in this group is formed without any changes, we simply put the future tense verb “will” before the auxiliary “to be”:
Denial and question
The construction of negation and question occurs according to general scheme sentence construction: when negating, put “not” after the auxiliary verb, and when questioning, put the auxiliary verb in first place.
To build past form you need to change the form of the auxiliary verb to “had”.
To build future form Additionally we put “will”.
Denial and question
Negation and question are constructed in a classical way: the particle not after had (in negation), had in first place (in question).
Denial and question
| Negation | Question |
|---|---|
| I have not been going. | Have I been going to school? |
These sentences are given for the sake of example only; in practice, you are unlikely to find yourself in a situation where you will need to express yourself in the Perfect Continuous. It will be much easier and faster to construct a phrase from the Simple and Continuous groups.
Simplified table of formation of all types of sentences in all tenses
For those who are encountering tenses for the first time, this article may seem a little chaotic, so as a result, I offer you a ready-made table with the formation of sentences in all tenses to make it easier for you to see the whole picture. You can use it as a cheat sheet in the initial stages of studying temporary structures. The table is taken from the Pikabu resource.
How often in exams and various tests we are faced with the need to correctly compose a phrase from a set of words. If in Russian it makes almost no difference whether you start a sentence with a subject or a predicate, then in English there are certain principles, the observance of which is mandatory. Right organized structure statements are the key to competent speech.
From the first days of learning English, you need to remember the strict sentence structure and word order. A clear sequence makes it easier to understand and hear speech. IN writing language is presented not as a set of words, but as a structured utterance.
Word order in an English sentence
Believe me, having mastered the basics of interaction between the members of a sentence, you can confidently say that soon you will be able to speak. Yes, at first with simple phrases of two or three words, but gradually expand your vocabulary and diversify your speech. So, the rules of construction:
Subject + predicate + object + adverbial
Subject + predicate + object + adverbal modifier
The boy showed the mark-book yesterday. (The boy showed the diary yesterday)
subject tale additional the circumstances
Well, that's not all. One phrase may contain several circumstances or additions. How to put everything in its place not only from the lexical side, but also from the grammatical side? Let's look at an example:
- The construction of sentences in English is based on the fact that if there are several additions, then they alternate as follows:
indirect add. (to whom?) + direct (what) + with preposition (to whom?)
She wrote her friend a letter. But: She wrote a letter to her friend. — She wrote a letter to her friend. = She wrote a letter to her friend. (there is no grammatical difference in Russian)
As can be seen from the example, if indirect object stands without a preposition, then it precedes the direct one, and if a preposition is used, then it comes after it.
- According to the word order in an English sentence, circumstances are arranged like this:
mode of action (goal, reason) (how?) + place (where? where?) + time (when?)
He was running quickly to his house at 6 o’clock yesterday. — He ran home quickly at 6 o'clock yesterday.
If there is a need to logically highlight a circumstance of place or time, then it can be brought to the fore.
In Moscow he visited many museums last year. — In Moscow he visited many museums last year.
Last year he visited many museums in Moscow. — Last year he visited many museums in Moscow.
- There is also such a member of the sentence as definition. This free bird always stands in front of the word to which it refers. Sometimes one definition is not enough to fully characterize a subject, so it is necessary to use several. How, what and where to put?
- Article or possessive pronoun(or noun in Possessive Case), numerals + adjectives: my beautiful yellow hat , Tom's ugly big old Italian hunting boots, the first difficult examination question.
- Adjectives in the following order: Emotional attitude → fact: a nice sunny day - a beautiful sunny day.
- Facts, if there are several of them, are arranged in the following sequence: size → age → color → where from → from what. You won’t necessarily find all the characteristics in a sentence, these can be two or three adjectives (adjectives are most often used as definitions), which means that by skipping one of the elements of the diagram, you put everything in the right order. Let's look at examples: a nice small black plastic bag, a new black plastic bag.
A famous Scottish poet was born in 1750. - characterizes the subject - emotion. coloring + where ( Famous poet born 1750)
So, when faced with the question, how to make sentences in English, look at every word. First of all, it is necessary to find the main members (who performs the action, what, or on what, then what happens, the action itself) and put them in first place. Then, the minor members are in accordance with the scheme.
But I would also really like to note questions that are not exactly a violation, but a slight change in order. Thus, the subject and predicate firmly hold their places and do not give them up to anyone, just like the adverbial and complement. But, an interrogative sentence can begin with an auxiliary verb, modal or with a special word.
Did he lives in Minsk? — Did he live in Minsk?
Do do you have a computer? — Do you have a computer?
Can will you take me to the museum? -Can you take me to the museum?
What kind of book are you reading now? — What book are you reading now?
Cases of violation of direct word order in an English sentence
Of course, not without difficulties! The above scheme most likely works for 80% of affirmative statements. But there are some features that are worth remembering.
A grammatical phenomenon such as inversion , turns everything upside down. What is it? In cases where the sentence structure in English is broken, it is noted reverse order subject and predicate. But there is a certain, limited set of such situations.
1. In units of speech with turnover there is / there are The subject comes after the predicate.
There is a round table in the middle of the room. — There is a round table in the middle of the room.
2. If the phrase begins from direct speech (with “”), and indirect follows it, the subject also changes places with the verb.
“I haven’t painted for ages”, said my friend. “I haven’t painted for ages,” said my friend.
3. In statements starting with "here", but only on condition that the subject is expressed by a noun. But, if in its place after here a pronoun is used, then the direct order is preserved.
Here are the gloves you are looking for. - These are the gloves you are looking for.
Here comes our teacher. - Here comes our teacher.
BUT: Here it is. - Here it is. Here he comes. - Here he comes.
4. If a sentence begins with adverbs or conjunctions such as never (never), rarely (rarely), little (little), in vain (in vain), scarcely (barely), not only (not only), hardly (barely), then there is an inversion. Most often, disruption of order is used to give emotional coloring to a statement, and these words, which are brought to the fore, strengthen and emphasize the meaning.
In vain doesshedye her hair — She dyes her hair in vain.
Never in his life has hegone abroad. — He had never traveled abroad in his life.
Seldom can he come to see us. “He can rarely visit us.”
5. In short remarks, for example, such as So did I, Neither do I (And I too).
Every morning I take a shower. - So do I. - I take a shower every morning. Me too.
She didn't read this book. — Neither did I. — She didn’t read this book. Me too.
In principle, everything is very specific in syntactic constructions. Having many rules and just as many exceptions, constructing statements is not difficult if you strictly follow the instructions. So, remember that composing sentences in English strictly follows a pattern. Follow it, and then you will succeed!
In any language, the order of words in a sentence helps to logically express a thought, and also performs a grammatical and often expressive function. Knowing this, you can correctly translate someone else’s speech, construct your own statements, place logical emphasis, etc. From this article you will learn what the order of words in a sentence in English is and what it depends on.
General information
First, let's get acquainted with the basic principles on which we will rely when considering this topic.
The word order in an English sentence is fixed. This means that each of its members is on certain place. And if it moves, then also according to the rules.
In an affirmative statement, the subject always comes first, then the predicate. For example: She likes sandwiches. The subject can be expressed not only by a pronoun, but also by a noun, including with dependent words.
People dance in the street.
A happy boy smiled.
Please note that an English sentence cannot do without a subject. It is contained even in those statements that in Russian could be called impersonal and vaguely personal.
Hot - It’s hot.
He is cold - He is cold.
Schematic illustration
The word order in an English sentence can be represented in the form of the following standard scheme: subject + predicate + minor members (what? whom? + where? where? + when?).
If you look carefully at the examples below, you will see exactly this sequence. One or another minor member of the sentence may be absent, but the order is preserved.
A woman visits her mother in a hospital on Sunday.
I made a cake last night.
The men in white clothes traveled to China in August.
The word order in a sentence in English is such that the main members occupy a fixed position. Secondary ones can move, but they do so according to certain rules.
Where is the add-on?
This part of the sentence can be direct or indirect. The first type answers the questions: “What?” and “Who?” The second type of additions answers various questions: “To whom?”, “For whom?” “With whom?”, “With what?”, “About what?”, “About whom?” etc. For example, in the sentence You gave me a book The direct object is the word book, and the indirect object is me.
If there are such members, then the order of words in an English sentence may change slightly. In the example above, the indirect object comes first and then the direct object. But they can also change places if the preposition to is used. Then the sentence will look like this: You gave a book to me.
What position does the circumstance take?
This part of the sentence is quite flexible. He can have three fixed positions based on what question he is answering.
1. The adverb of place (“Where?”) can be placed either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.
In the cinema I met Jack.
I met Jack in the cinema.
2. The adverb of time (“When?”) can occupy the same two positions: end and beginning.
I met him yesterday.
Yesterday I met him.
3. The circumstance of the manner of action (“How?”) is usually placed after direct object, but before the indirect one.
You play tennis very well.
She smiled happily at him.
This position changes only in rare cases to create an expressive effect. Then the circumstance of the manner of action is placed first in the sentence.
Interrogative and negative sentences occupy an important place in the English language. They will be discussed further.
How to ask a question
The word order in an English interrogative sentence has its own nuances. And it depends on the type of question: general, special, alternative, dividing and a question to the subject. Let's look at each of them in more detail.
1. The question to the subject is the simplest, since the word order in it does not change. All you have to do is replace the subject with a suitable question word. For example:
He is happy - Who is happy?
They went swimming - Who went swimming?
The only thing that is difficult about this type of sentence is not to confuse it with a special question. After all, they are similar only at first glance.
2. Special question also uses question words. But it is asked to any member of the sentence, except the subject. And the word order in such a sentence is reversed. First the predicate (more precisely, its part expressed by an auxiliary verb), then the subject.
Where do you go?
What are you doing?
3. The general question also has reverse word order. IN interrogative sentences This is quite common in English. First place in in this case special types of verbs are used: auxiliary (do, does, did, is, are, was, were, will, etc.) or modal (can, may, must, should, etc.)
Do you like reading?
Is this a pen red?
Will he come today?
Can you run fast?
In cases where to be acts as a semantic verb, there is no need to add an auxiliary to it:
Was she at home last night?
Will you be happy?
4. Alternative question assumes reverse word order. Starts like a general question, but adds an or structure at the end:
Do you like winter or summer?
5. The dividing question consists of two parts: the sentence itself (without changes) and the “tail” (translated into Russian as “isn’t it?”). If the first part of the question is in the affirmative, then the second must be in the negative (and vice versa):
You live here, don't you?
He isn’t your brother, is he?
Thus, it is the type of question that determines the word order in interrogative sentences. In English, each variety has its own characteristics.
There is one more type of sentence left - negative. Let's see what word order is used in them.
How to formulate a negative
Everything here is quite simple: the negative particle not is added to the auxiliary and modal verbs we already know. And the following forms are obtained: do not (don't), does not (doesn't), am not, is not (isn't), are not (aren't), was not (wasn't), were not (weren't), will not (won't), would not (wouldn't), cannot (can't), must not (mustn't), etc.
Word order in negative sentences direct. An auxiliary (modal) verb with the particle not is placed before the predicate.
She isn't sad.
They can't understand.
He mustn't worry.
Many factors influence the order of words in an English sentence, but it has only two varieties - direct and indirect. Each part of the sentence has its own place.
Dima behaved well yesterday.
Yesterday Dima behaved well.
Dima behaved well yesterday.
Dima behaved well yesterday.
Dima behaved well yesterday.
Dima behaved well yesterday.
No matter how we say these sentences and in what order we put the words in them, their meaning will not change. With this example we want to show the difference between the construction of Russian and English sentences. After all, it is in the latter that such variations are impossible. This is due to the fact that the English language lacks endings, and in order not to lose the meaning that the speaker wants to convey, English philologists have established rules for composing sentences in English. They are quite clear and require strict adherence.
Let's consider the features of constructing affirmative sentences.
We have two spelling options. The first option looks like this:
subject-predicate-object-adverbial
She doesn’t bake herself as a rule. Her boyfriend does it for her.
(She doesn't do the baking herself. Her boyfriend does)
He likes this book very much.
(He really likes this book.)
They will bring this book tomorrow.
(They will bring this book tomorrow)
The second option is written like this:
adverbial-subject-predicate-object
As a rule she doesn’t bake herself. Her boyfriend does it for her.
(She usually doesn't do the baking herself. Her boyfriend does.)
Yesterday Kevin met his classmates at the airport.
(Yesterday Kevin met his classmates at the airport.)
If we talk about interrogative sentences, it is worth noting that they also have characteristic features writing.
In our article we will learn how general and special questions are composed.
More about interrogative sentences:
Interrogative sentences in English
We construct a general question according to this scheme:
verb-subject- addition-adverbial
Will she be at the restaurant after 2?
(Will she be at the restaurant after two?)
Did you bring that book to the library?
(Did you bring that book to the library?)
As a rule, we put “question-word” as the first word in interrogative sentences ( who, whom, where, why, what, which, when, whose, how, how much).
In second place we put the auxiliary verb ( am, is, are, does, did, do, will, shall, would, have, has, can, could, must, may, might, ought, need, should.) It is followed by the subject, semantic verb, and other words.
How do you feel today?
(How are you feeling today?)
How much sugar does she take in her coffee?
(How much sugar does she add to her coffee?)
Here we have given the basic schemes for constructing sentences in English. But, there are some exceptions to the rules and deviations from the given schemes. We invite you to learn about all these features at our school and receive detailed information on this topic.
More significant success in constructing sentences in English will bring you the desire to think in English, and not just translate sentences from Russian. Watching films or your favorite English TV series without translation and with subtitles will also be useful. Firstly, it will bring not only the opportunity to learn, but also pastime with pleasure. Secondly, visual memory will consolidate the textual accompaniment of the film, and you can always rewind the film and read unfamiliar phrases or words. The usefulness of American TV series also lies in the fact that they use a significant amount of slang sentences, exclamations and modern sayings, which, of course, you will need for everyday speech.
Our dear students, the entire Native English School team congratulates you on the upcoming Easter, wishes you sincerity from those around you, bright smiles, success in your work, peace in your family and in your heart! See you! =)
