Basic Sentence Structure
An English sentence has a fixed word order. A simple sentence has a subject and a verb. The subject comes first, then the verb.
Structure
- Action verb, positive: Subject + verb (+ object) (+ place or time). Example: The cat eats fish.
- Action verb, negative: Subject + do/does + not + verb. Example: She does not read a book.
- Action verb, question: Do/Does + subject + verb? Example: Does she read a book?
- Be, positive: Subject + am/is/are + adjective or noun. Example: She is happy.
- Be, negative: Subject + am/is/are + not + adjective or noun. Example: She is not happy.
- Be, question: Am/Is/Are + subject + adjective or noun? Example: Is she happy?
Use does with he, she, it and with one person or thing (the cat). Use do with I, you, we and they. In a positive sentence with he, she or it, the verb often ends in -s: He plays. After do or does, the verb has no -s: She does not read. With be, do not use do or does.
How the Grammar Works
- Find the subject: Who or what is the sentence about? Example: The cat
- Choose the verb: What does the subject do? Or use am/is/are to say who or how someone is. Example: eats (or is in She is happy.)
- Add an object if you need it: The object is the thing after the action verb. Example: fish
- Add place or time at the end: Example: The cat eats fish every day.
Common Use Cases
- Describing actions: He plays soccer.
- Giving information: The sun rises in the east.
- Saying who or what someone is: I am a student.
- Asking questions: Do you like coffee?
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- No subject in a statement: A statement needs a subject. Incorrect: Is raining. Correct: It is raining. A command such as Sit down. has no subject.
- Wrong verb form: The verb must match the subject. Incorrect: She go to school. Correct: She goes to school.
- -s after do or does: After do or does, the verb has no -s. Incorrect: She does not reads. Correct: She does not read.
- Wrong word order: The subject comes before the verb. Incorrect: Likes she coffee. Correct: She likes coffee.
- Do or does with be: Use not after am, is or are. Incorrect: She does not happy. Correct: She is not happy.
Comparison with Related Grammar
A sentence with be tells us who or how someone is. A sentence with an action verb tells us what someone does. They make negatives and questions in different ways.
- Be: She is a teacher. / She is not a teacher. / Is she a teacher?
- Action verb: She teaches English. / She does not teach English. / Does she teach English?
Example Sentences
- The dog barks loudly.
- They play in the park.
- Does he understand the lesson?
- We do not have homework today.
- She writes a letter every week.
- I am a student.
- Is she happy?
When to Use This Rule
Use these patterns to make simple sentences.