Download Linking Verb Patterns

6 Basic Sentence Patterns
Symbols
S = Subject
 V = Verb
 DO= Direct Object
 IO = Indirect Object
 OC = Objective Complement
 PA= Predicate Adjective
 PN= Predicate Nominative
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Subject
The person or thing about which
something is being said.
 Hint: To find the subject, put the word
“Who or what” before the verb in the
form of a question.
 Sam smiled.
 Who/what smiled? Sam
 Sam is the subject.
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Verb
The verb is the word which states the
action or state of being of the subject in
the sentence.
 Sam smiled.
 Smiled is the verb.
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Sentence
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A group of words with both a subject and
a verb and makes a complete thought.
Action Verb Patterns
1. S-V
2. S-V-DO
3. S-V-IO-DO
4. S-V-DO-OC
1. Subject- Verb
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S-V pattern
The clown giggled.
The child cried.
The worm wiggled.
The bus honked.
Direct Object
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The direct object is a noun or pronoun which
receives the action of the verb.
Hint: To find the direct object, take the verb
and place the words whom or what after in a
question form.
Sam held a book.
Ask: Sam held whom or what? Sam held a
book.
Book is the direct object.
2. Subject-Verb-Direct Object
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S-V-DO pattern
The mouse ate the cheese.
 The cat ate the mouse.
 The owl ate the cat.
 Henry shot the owl.
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Indirect Object
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The indirect object is the person or thing which
is either helped or harmed by the action of the
verb.
Hint: To find an indirect object, ask “to or for
whom” the action is done.
Gertrude made her mother a gift.
Gertrude made a gift for whom or what?
For her mother
Mother is the indirect object.
3. Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct
Object
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S-V-IO-DO pattern
The mother made the child dinner.
 The child gave her mother a hug.
 The teacher told the student the answer.
 The carpenter built the customer a desk.
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Object Complement
The object complement comes after a
direct object and either renames the
object or describes it.
 Example: The electrician called the
wiring a mistake.
 Wiring is the direct object. Mistake
renames it.
 Mistake is an objective complement.
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4. Subject-Verb-Direct Object-Object
Complement
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S-V-DO-OC pattern
We named the child Robin.
 The class elected the boy treasurer.
 The committee called the festival Fall
Fest.
 Sam thought the assignment silly.
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Linking Verb Patterns
(a.k.a. subject complements)
Subject-LinkingVerb-Predicate Nominative
(S-LV-PN)
Subject-Linking Verb-Predicate Adjective
(S-LV-PA)
Symbols
S= Subject
 LV= Linking verb (includes the being
verb, the sense verbs (look, taste, feel,
sound, smell), remain, become, appear,
seems, etc.
 PA= Predicate Adjective
 PN= Predicate Nominative
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Predicate Nominative
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A predicate nominative
is a noun or pronoun
 comes after a linking verb
 renames the subject
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5. Subject-LV-Predicate Nominative
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S-LV-PN pattern
The nurse is a professional
 Her mother is a lawyer.
 The student is an achiever.
 Harriot is a joker.
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Predicate Adjective
comes after a linking verb
 is an adjective (modifies a noun or
pronoun)
 describes the subject
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6. Subject-LV-Predicate Adjective
S-LV-PA pattern
 Latin is valuable.
 The bus was blue.
 The table was empty.
 Shirley is sweet.
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Recap of complements…
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Subject complement
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Sentence pattern: S-LV-PN or S-LV-PA
Examples: Her mother is a lawyer.
The bus was blue.
Object complement
Sentence pattern: S-V-DO-OC
 Example: The class elected the boy treasurer.
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Decorating Your Sentence
The 6 basic patterns are just skeletons of
sentences to be added to.
 Modifiers (adjectives, adverbs, phrases,
etc.) can be added to make the sentence
more descriptive and interesting, but
they do NOT affect the basic sentence
pattern.
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