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Understanding Sentence
Structure
California Language Arts Standard 1.2 (9th and 10th Grade):
Understand sentence construction and proper English Usage.
There are Five Simple
Sentence Patterns

Subject – Verb (S-V)
go
Subject – Verb – Direct Object (S-V-DO)
Subject – Verb – Indirect Object – Direct
Object (S-V-IO-DO)
Subject – Verb – Direct Object – Object
Complement (S-V-DO-OC)
Subject – Linking Verb – Subject
Complement (S-LV-SC)
SUBJECT - VERB



Some Action Verbs do not need OBJECTS.
These are called INTRANSITIVE verbs.
Some examples: jump, fly, race, and cry.
S
V
The bird is flying.
SUBJECT - VERB
• Modifiers (adjectives, adverbs, prepositional
phrases) do not change the sentence’s pattern.
S
V
The grey bird with a baby in its beak is flying across
the screen.
SUBJECT – VERB
Some more examples
S
V
The alarm sounded.
S
V
The baby is crying.
S
V
Your dog can run quickly.
SUBJECT – VERB – DIRECT OBJECT
Some Action Verbs need DIRECT OBJECTS.
These are called TRANSITIVE verbs.
Some examples: kick, give, deliver, and call.

S
V
DO
The quarterback threw the ball.
SUBJECT – VERB – DIRECT OBJECT
The DIRECT OBJECT indicates what or who is
receiving the action.

The quarterback threw _______.
The quarterback threw WHAT?
S
V
DO
The quarterback threw the ball.
SUBJECT – VERB – DIRECT OBJECT
Some More Examples
Thomas
has Vcaught WHAT?
S
DO
Thomas has caught a fish.
The bee is pollinating WHAT?
S
V
DO
The bee is pollinating the flowers.
The men
S areV blowing WHAT?
DO
The men are blowing horns.
Jason
S is Vkissing WHO?
DO
Jason is kissing Nancy.
SUBJECT – VERB – INDIRECT
OBJECT – DIRECT OBJECT (1)
Some Action Verbs may also take INDIRECT
OBJECTS.
Some examples: give, make, and bring.

S
V IO
DO
The class gave Bill a birthday cake.
SUBJECT – VERB – INDIRECT
OBJECT – DIRECT OBJECT (2)
S
V IO
DO
The class gave Bill a birthday cake.
The INDIRECT OBJECT tells to whom (or what) or
for whom (or what) the action is done.
WHAT did the class give (Direct Object)? A cake!
TO WHOM did they give it (Indirect Object)? Bill!
SUBJECT – VERB – INDIRECT
OBJECT – DIRECT OBJECT (3)
Can you identify the Direct and Indirect Objects in the following
sentence?
S
V
IO
DO
Toby bought mother some flowers for Mother’s Day.
WHAT did Toby buy?
DO=flowers
FOR WHOM did he buy them?
IO=mother
SUBJECT – VERB – INDIRECT
OBJECT – DIRECT OBJECT (4)
Can you identify the Direct and Indirect Objects in the following
sentence?
S
V
IO
DO
Yesterday, my lab partner lent me his lecture notes.
WHAT did my lab partner lend?
DO=notes
TO WHOM did he lend them?
IO=me
(That’s me!)
SUBJECT – VERB – DIRECT OBJECT
– OBJECT COMPLEMENT (1)
•An OBJECT COMPLEMENT is an noun,
pronoun, or adjective which follows a
direct object and renames it or tells what
the direct object has become.
•It is most often used with verbs of
creating or nominating such as make,
name, elect, paint, call, etc.
S
V
DO
OC
We painted the barn red.
SUBJECT – VERB – DIRECT OBJECT
– OBJECT COMPLEMENT (2)
In other words, the OBJECT COMPLEMENT
completes the Direct Object.
S
V
DO
OC
The proud parents named their baby Susan.
In this sentence, the Direct Object is
baby. The word Susan completes the word
baby. It tells us what the parents named
their baby. Therefore, Susan is the Object
Complement.
SUBJECT – VERB – DIRECT OBJECT
– OBJECT COMPLEMENT (3)
Can you identify the OBJECT COMPLEMENT
in each of the following sentences?
S V
DO
OC
I find this book interesting.
S
V
S
V
DO
OC
Maria dyed her hair orange.
DO
OC
Tracy keeps her room clean.
S
V
DO
OC
We elected Brian captain of our team.
SUBJECT – LINKING VERB –
SUBJECT COMPLEMENT (1)
Many important verbs do not express action. They
help make a statement and they link a noun or
adjective to the subject.
THE LINKING VERBS:
feel look appear taste seem smell become grow
remain sound stay
The BE verbs: is
am are was were be being been
SUBJECT – LINKING VERB –
SUBJECT COMPLEMENT (2)
He is happy.
The be verb is links he and happy.
SUBJECT – LINKING VERB –
SUBJECT COMPLEMENT (3)
George Washington
became the first president.
Became links George Washington and
president.
Check by saying, George =
president, or President George
Washington , or substitute the
linking verb with a form of "to be"
(the be verbs) as in: G. Washington
is president.
SUBJECT – LINKING VERB –
SUBJECT COMPLEMENT (4)
The SUBJECT COMPLEMENT completes the
subject.
The SUBJECT COMPLEMENT may be either
a NOUN or an ADJECTIVE.
Noun
My father is a professor.
Adjective
Our cat is fat.
SUBJECT – LINKING VERB –
SUBJECT COMPLEMENT (5)
Linking verbs can be action
verbs too. The following
sentences contain verbs that
are either linking or action
and how to check it.
SUBJECT – LINKING VERB –
SUBJECT COMPLEMENT (6)
ACTION or LINKING?
If you are not sure whether a verb is a linking verb or an
action verb, try substituting a form of the verb 'to be' for
the verb. The verb is a linking verb if the meaning of the
sentence is not significantly altered.
SC
Linking: The soup tasted good.
Check: soup is good, good soup, soup = good
Action: I tasted the soup.
Check: I am the soup (no), soup am I (no) I
= soup (no)
SUBJECT – LINKING VERB –
SUBJECT COMPLEMENT (7)
ACTION or LINKING?
SC
Linking: He grew tired of walking.
Of walking is a prepositional phrase and not included in the
check. You should omit the prepositional phrase to check:
He grew tired. Check: He is tired, tired is he, he = tired.
Action: He grew into a tall man.
Omit the prepositional phrase into a tall man
before checking. That leaves the sentence, "he
grew." There's no noun or adjective left to link
to, so grew is an action word in this sentence.
Internet Links
•Review Linking Verbs
•Review Transitive and
Intransitive Verbs
•Objects and Complements
•Review: Parts of the
Sentence