SET I: CLAUSE ELEMENTS AND CLAUSE PATTERNS.

In order to understand what type of complements accompany each verb and which position they take in
the sentence, it is important to review what a simple sentence is. According to L.G. Alexander, a sentence
is a complete unit of meaning that contains a finite verb (i.e a verb that has a subject and that denotes
tense) .
A sentence can take one of the following forms.

 A statement, affirmative or negative

Banks / open from Mondays to Fridays.

SUBJECT PREDICATE

 A question:

Do / banks / open on Saturdays?

PRED. SUBJ PRED.

 A command (the subject is understood)

Leave her alone

PREDICATE

 An exclamation

What a silly comment / you/ ´ve made!

PREDICATE SUBJ PREDICATE

A Simple sentence has only one clause.

Eg. Mary has breakfast at 8 am.

Compound sentence is the one which consists of two or more clauses joined by a coordinate conjunction.
Eg. Susan washed the dishes and Mary dried them.

Complex sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate or dependent clause.

Eg. We like the film because it was funny.

As we can see a simple sentence in English must always be made of a SUBJECT AND A FINITE VERB.
Although the subject and the finite verb are the most widely familiar constituents of any simple sentence,
they are not the only ones. OBJECTS and ADVERBIALS are often referred to as ELEMENTS of the sentence
structure or “SENTENCE ELEMENTS”.

I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 1
 SENTENCE ELEMENTS

SUBJECT VERB OBJECT COMPLEMENT ADVERBIAL

When we referred to sentence elements, we refer to the way different kind of phrases function, how the
same kind of phrases can express different elements.
The verb element is always a verb phrase but this doesn’t always happen with other forms of functions.
In other words, each phrase may be found functioning as different sentence elements:

TYPES OF PHRASES

NOUN PHRASE ADJETIVE PHRASE VERB PHRASE ADVERB PHRASE PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

SUBJECT VERB OBJECT COMPLEMENT ADVERBIAL

Thus a Subject may be made up by a noun phrase.

SUBJECT VERB OBJECT COMPLEMENT ADVERBIAL

NOUN PHRASE ADJETIVE PHRASE VERB PHRASE ADVERB PHRASE PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

Noun Phrases can be:

 SUBJECT: My friend is abroad.
 OBJECT: I needed fresh air. We told the children the truth.
 OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION: …in the lake.
 SUBJECT COMPLEMENT: She is a nurse.

Adjective phrases can be:

 SUBJECT COMPLEMENT: They are tired and exhausted.
Prepositional phrases can be:
 Part of a noun phrase: No sign (of the way).
 If a prepositional phrase modifies a noun or a pronoun it functions as an adjective in the
sentence: This book (about animals) is very informative.
 They can function as adverbs: ….under the water.
 If a prepositional phrase modifies a A) Verb, B) an adjective or C) an adverb, it functions as an
adverbial.
A) Jim will practice (after school).
B) He is careful (with his money).

I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 2
 C) We study later (in the evening).

Sentences differ widely as to what type and how many elements they include. The type of elements and
the order in which they are organized in a sentence will depend primarily on the NATURE of the verb that
constitutes the HEAD of the predicate. This organization of elements of a sentence is what is often
referred to as SENTENCE PATTERN.

Sentence patterns will vary depending on whether the presence of one or more elements in addition to
the subject and if the finite verb is compulsory or not. The typical word order of the English sentence is
the following:

SUBJECT VERB (OBJECT)

SUBJECT VERB COMPLEMENT
SUBJECT VERB (ADVERBIAL)

Verb types will vary depending on whether they need to be complemented by an OBJECT , by a SUBJECT
COMPLEMENT, AN ADVERBIAL, or when they need no complementation at all (i.e they can stand by
themselves in the Predicate). Thus we can speak of three main types of verbs:

TRANSITIVE (TV)
INTRANSITIVE (IVCP= INTRANSITIVE VERBS OF COMPLETE PREDICATION)
COPULAS OR LINKING VERBS. (IVIP= INTRANSITIVE VERBS OF INCOMPLETE PREDICATION)
The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English defines these verbs as follows:

INTRANSITIVE VERB: a verb having a SUBJECT but no OBJECT.

TRANSITIVE VERB: …a verb that has a subject and must take an OBJECT or a phrase acting like an OBJECT.
COPULA (LINKING VERB): a special type of verb that connects the SUBJECT of a sentence with its
COMPLEMENT.

E.g.:
I felt very tired. S V C
My back hurts. S V
Tom gave me the keys. S V O O
I wanted some food. S V O
I found the bed rather hard. S V O A
The hotel was situated on a busy street. S V A
The traffic noise kept me awake. S V O C

I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 3
 INTRANSITIVE VERBS
 Intransitive verbs can occur with no obligatory element following them. This type of verbs refer
to events which involve only the subject. In Collins Cobuild English Grammar, we read that
intransitive verbs usually describe physical behavior or the making of sounds:

Eg: Ben sneezed . / The dog barked. / the phone´s ringing.

S + VI S + VI S + VI

Intransitive verbs often indicate movement as in :

EG: The Earth shook. The sun is rising . I will walk

S+ IV. S +VI S+ IV

 However it is also possible to complement their meaning by means of optional adverbials.

Eg. Ben sneezed a minute ago . the phone is ringing loudly.

S+ VI +ADV. TIME S+ VI + ADV MANNER
The Earth shook violently. The sun is rising at this very moment.
S+ VI + ADV MANNER S + VI ADV TIME

TRANSITIVE VERBS

 They always involve someone or something other than the subject, therefore, they must always
be followed by an object. When transitive verbs take a single direct object, they are called
Monotransitive verb, however, if they take two object phrases (an indirect and a direct one) they
are called Ditransitive verbs.
 Ditransitive complementation in its basic form involves two object noun phrases: an indirect
object, which is normally animate and comes first, and a direct object, which is usually inanimate
and comes last.
Eg. Alice found a cheap flat.
S Vm OD
Alice found her mother a cheap flat.
S VmT OI OD
Alice found a cheap flat for her mother.
S VmT OD prep OI

 As it is illustrated in the last two examples, the order of the direct and indirect objects can
sometimes be altered. Instead of putting the indirect object in front of the direct object, it is
possible to put it in a prepositional phrase after the direct object. However it is very important for
the learner of English to know that this choice is NOT made at random; on the contrary, it
largely depends on communicative purpose of each speaker. In Collings Cobuild, we read that this
structure is particularly used in four cases:
1. When the speaker wants to FOCUS on the IO.

Book the seats for me. (not for him, he already has a seat)
OD OD

I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 4
 2. When the OI is significantly LONGER than the DO.

The police will give a reward to any citizen who can provide information to solve this case.
S OD OI

3. When the DO is a PRONOUN.

Stanley arrived carrying a bunch of flowers. He had bought them for Marge.
OD OI

4. When the NEW INFORMATION is contained in the IO.

All of a sudden , Jack stopped and gave his ring to Peter.

OD OI

 As is can be noted, the OI is sometimes introduced by the preposition TO and sometimes by the
preposition FOR. The former is chosen when the DO is something transferred from one person to
another. The latter, on the other hand, is often used when the action described involves one
person doing something that will benefit another person.
 The following are some verbs that can be complemented by means of an indirect object
introduced by “to”.

GIVE- HAND- LEND- OFFER- PASS- PAY- RENT- SELL – SEND – SHOW- TEACH- TELL-

EG: Pass me the salt, please.

TV + OI+ OD
Pass the salt to me, please.
TV + OD + OI

 Some verbs which can be complemented by means of an indirect object introduced by “FOR”

BOOK- BUIL- BUY- CASH- COOK- CUT- FETCH –FIND—GET- KEEP –MAKE- ORDER- PAINT- POUR- PREPARE-
SAVE- SET-

EG: Build Tom a sand castle.

VT + OI + OD

Build a sand castle for Tom.

TV + OD + OI

 There are some verbs that can be complemented by means of an indirect object by either “TO” or
“FOR” depending on the meaning you want to express.

BRING- LEAVE- PLAY – SING – TAKE – WRITE-

I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 5
Paul wrote me a letter
TV OI+ OD
Paul wrote a letter to / for me.
TV OD + OI

 However, some ditransitive verbs have indirect object which can neither be introduced by
preposition nor can they be postponed, some of the are: ask- cost- charge-

How do you dare ask me such a thing!

OI+ OD

 In the case of some other transitive verbs the only possible position of the indirect object is after
the direct object and introduced by a preposition. Verbs whose indirect objects can only be
introduced by TO.
Eg: EXPLAIN- SAY- SPEAK- SUGGEST- INTRODUCE

EG: He suggested a bright solution to us.

VT OD + OI

NEVER: he suggested me a bright solution

 Verbs whose indirect objects can only be introduced only by FOR;

CASH- CLOSE – OPEN- CHANGE – PRONOUNCE – PREAPARE

EG : The florist has opened his shop (specially) for us

TV OD + ADV + OI

LINKING VERBS
 Linking verbs- also known as copular verbs, are used either to describe someone or something or
to identify who or what someone or something is.
When linking verbs describe, they associate an attribute (or quality) with the subject. This
attribute, or quality is expressed by means of a subject complement which is an adjective or an
adjectival phrase.

Eg; Babies are always cute.

VL+(ADV) + SC

 On the other hand, when linking verbs identify the subject, they do so by means of a subject
complement which is a noun or a noun phrase.

Eg; Madonna is a pop star.

VL+ SC = A NOUN PHRASE

I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 6
  The verb TO BE is the linking verb per excellence. However, there are quite a few verbs that fit in
the same pattern. Some of them have been listed below.

APPEAR – LOOK- SEEM- SMELL- TASTE- BECOME- GET- GROW- KEEP- REMAIN- STAY

Eg: Miranda looked ridiculous (in those tight trousers).

VL + SC = Adjective

Tomas has become an excellent teacher.

VL + SC = NOUN PHRASE

BASIC SENTENCE PATTERNS

Patterns are the basic sentences of a language. Such sentences form the skeleton of the language.
All the other sentences of the language are DERIVED from these basic pattern by transformation
of their structure. A verb pattern is, in most cases, a verb and the words that come after it. These
words might be: a noun group, an adjective group, a prepositional phrase, an adverb group or
adverbial phrase, a finite clause, a non-finite clause.
• There are seven basic English patterns

PATTERN Nº 1

SUBJECT + INTRANSITIVE VERB + OBLIGATORY ADVERB (0F PLACE)

LINKING VERB

The cinema is situated on a busy street.

There are a number of intransitive verbs that express movement or position such as GO, CREEP,
LEAD, HANG, LIVE, STAND, which often require an obligatory complement that names the
direction or destination of the action.

All roads lead to Rome .

The National Museum stands near the river.

Some linking verbs can also be followed by an obligatory adverb.

Laura is at school.
The children have stayed outside.

I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 7
PATTERN Nº 2

SUBJECT + LINKING VERB + SUBJECT COMPLEMENT

My husband is a doctor.
George became the manager of the company in 1985.

A linking verb is a verb that links the subject and the complement of a clause. It sets up a kind of
equation between its subject and its complements. It is also called “copula” eg. BE, SEEM,
BECOME, LOOK.
The subject complement completes the predication after a copular verb by specifying an attribute
to the subject, its identity, or a circumstance inherent to the predication. The subject complement
is an obligatory constituent in the sense that it completes the meaning of the verb. It may be a
noun, an adjective , a noun phrase or an adjectival phrase.

PATTERN Nº 3

SUBJECT + TRANSITIVE VERB + DIRECT OBJECT + INDIRECT OBJECT

INDIRECT OBJECT + DIRECT OBJECT

I sent a telegram to him

I sent him a telegram

I wish Bob good luck.

A verb is ditransitive when it takes both a direct and an indirect object. The indirect object is a
second object use with a transitive verb to indicate “who” or “what ” benefits from an action, or
gets something as a result of it. The indirect object refers to a person indirectly affected by the
action described in the sentence.
Group 1:
Eg . I sent him a telegram.
I sent a telegram to him

Other verbs that follow this pattern are GIVE, WRITE, LEND, SHOW, PASS, OFFER, OWE,
SELL , TEACH, POST, TELL, HAND.

Group 2
Ieg. I wished Bob good luck

Other verbs that follow this pattern are ASK, COST, CHARGE, MAKE

Group 3
My mother made a dress for Susan
My mother made Susan a dress.
I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 8
Other verbs that follow this pattern are BUY,GET, DO, BOOK, SAVE, PRESCRIBE, FIND,
COOK, CHOOSE,ORDER, FETCH.

Group 4
Eg. He explained his problem to the boss

Other verbs that follow this pattern are SAY, INTRODUCE, SPEAK, ANNOUNCE,
DESCRIBE, REPEAT, PROPOSE, SUGGEST, RECOMMEND, CONFESS.

GROUP 5
EG. He cashed a check for his friend

Other verbs that follow this pattern are ANSWER, CHANGE, DESIGN, CLOSE, OPEN,
PREPARE, PRONOUNCE.

Group 6
Eg. The students bought their teacher the homework
The students bought the homework to/ for their teacher.

PATTERN Nº 4

SUBJECT + TRANSITIVE VERB + DIRECT OBJECT + OBJECT COMPLEMENT

I consider him guilty

They elected Donald Trump president.

The object complement describes the direct object. Verbs such as CONSIDER, FIND, CALL,
IMAGINE, PROVE, reflect the opinion or perception of the speaker.
Verbs such as CALL , LABEL, NAME, indicate a name or label for the Direct object. Some other
verbs such as RECOGNIZE, REGARD, ACCEPT, MISTAKE, TAKE and DESCRIBE,
( followed by AS or FOR) take O C after D O.
EG. They regard the fitness craze as a wake-up call.

PATTERN Nº 5

SUBJECT + INTRANSITIVE VERB + (OPTIONAL ADVERB)

the children laughed.

Sally is crying in her bedroom right now.

I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 9
A verb is intransitive when the action denoted by the verb does not pass over from the subject to
anything else. The action is confined to the subject: only the subject suffers the action. It does not
have any objects.
Typically, a verb pattern includes only those words that are significant for that particular verb,.
Thus, when information about manner, place or time is not essential, the adverb group or
prepositional phrase is not considered to be part of the pattern, in such a case, we call it optional
adverb.
Eg. The bus is coming.
The fog rose.

PATTERN Nº 6

SUBJECT + TRANSITIVE VERB + OBJECT DIRECT

They built a large tower.

The gardener is watering the plants in the park.

PATTERN Nº 7

SUBJECT +TRANSITIVE VERB + OBJECT DIRECT + OBLIGATORY ADVERBIAL

The robber put the gun on her head.

I stood the ladder against the wall.

I.S.F.D.Nº1. GRAMMAR II 10