Sentence Structure - Components, Types and Examples
Having learnt the parts of speech in the English language, not knowing how to use them and where to
place each part of speech to form a sentence would not be ideal. Right? In fact, sentence structure is one
among the most important grammatical components that acts as the foundation of a language. So here is
what you need to know. In this article, you will learn what a sentence structure is and the different
sentence structures. You will also find examples for every sentence structure that you can refer to. Also,
try out the practice questions given.
Table of Contents
What Do You Mean by Sentence Structure?
Basic Parts and Components of a Sentence
Parts of a Sentence
Subject
Predicate
Components of a Sentence
Subject
Verb
Object
Complement
Adjunct
The Different Types of Sentence Structures in English Grammar
Examples of Sentence Structure
SV
SVO
SVC
SVA
SVOC
SVOA
SVIODO
ASVC
ASVO
ASVIODO
SVAA
ASVAA
Check Your Understanding of Sentence Structure
Frequently Asked Questions on Sentence Structure in English
What Do You Mean by Sentence Structure?
Sentence structure is a grammatical component that tells you exactly where and how each component of a
sentence should be placed in order to blend and make sense. The Collins Dictionary defines sentence
structure as “the grammatical arrangement of words in sentences.” In other words, the sentence structure
is what defines the way a sentence will look and sound.
Basic Parts and Components of a Sentence
Before we look into how sentence structure works, we will have to first learn about the basic structure of
a sentence and the components that make up a sentence.
Parts of a Sentence
A sentence, in the English language, consists of at least a subject and a predicate. In other words, a
sentence should have a subject and a verb.
Subject
The subject can be a noun or a pronoun that does the action.
For example:
The sun is shining.
The sky is clear.
Today is Wednesday.
Predicate
The verb is the action performed by the particular subject in the sentence.
For example:
I love macaroni and cheese.
Merin has a pet.
Anusha can draw.
Components of a Sentence
Like a sentence has two parts, it has five main components that make up the structure of a sentence, and
they are,
Subject
Verb
Object
Complement
Adjunct
Now, let us look at each of these components in detail.
Subject
A noun that performs the action in a sentence is considered as the subject. It answers the question ‘who’
or in other words, a subject can be identified by asking the question ‘who’. A subject takes the first place
in most cases, especially in declarative or assertive sentences.
For example:
The child kept crying.
Our school team won the match.
My son is in the eighth grade.
Hard work pays.
No one came to the wedding.
Verb
In every sentence the most important word can be said to be the verb. A verb shows action or activity or
work done by the subject. Remember that all verbs including main verbs, helping verbs, stative verbs and
action verbs come under this category. Most often, verbs appear immediately after the subject.
For example:
Neena is writing a letter.
It was too dark.
I feel tired.
My phone is not working.
Tarun’s dog ran away.
Object
An object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action done by the subject. Objects are of two types and
they are,
Direct Object
Indirect Object
Direct Object
A noun or pronoun that receives the action directly is the direct object in the sentence. It answers the
question ‘what’. Direct objects mostly appear immediately after the verb and are the primary objects in
the sentence.
For example:
Harry bought a new car.
My mom made a cake.
I met my friend.
She knows all the songs.
We watched a movie.
Indirect Object
An indirect object is a noun or pronoun that is a secondary object. It can be identified by asking the
question ‘whom’. When there is an indirect object in a sentence, it is mostly placed after the verb and
before the direct object.
For example:
Vandhana gave Keerthana a cake.
My mom bought me a new dress.
I gave him a chocolate.
They gave us coffee with breakfast.
He lent his friend a pen.
Complement
The words required to complete the meaning of a sentence can be referred to as the complement of the
sentence. A complement can be an adjective, a name, a position or a profession.
For example:
It grew dark.
He is a dentist.
That’s her dog, Bruno.
Complements are further divided into two types based on which component it speaks about. The two
types of complement are,
Subject Complement
Object Complement
Subject Complement
The complement which expresses the quality or identity or condition of the subject is called Subject
Complement.
For example:
She is a doctor.
I am Sindhu.
Nandhu is clever.
The students are very excited.
My brother is a teacher.
Object Complement
The complement which expresses the quality or identity or condition of an object is called Object
Complement.
For example:
They made her angry.
The students elected Sreya the class leader.
They named their daughter, Thara.
Marley met her friend, Ryan.
Nobody found the movie interesting.
Adjunct
An adjunct is a word or a phrase that gives more information about an action, an event, a quality and so
on. In short, it can be said that these words can include adverbs and adverb clauses. Adjuncts can be
identified by asking questions ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘why’, ‘how’, ‘how often’ and ‘to what extent’. When
using adjuncts, keep in mind that adjuncts can be used in the beginning, middle or end of the sentence and
that there can be more than one adjunct in a sentence.
Take a look at the following examples to understand how adjuncts can be used.
Yesterday, we met at the park.
He is very tired.
Due to his ill-health, he could not come home for Christmas.
My father reads the newspaper everyday.
This workout routine is extremely exhausting.
The Different Types of Sentence Structures in English Grammar
In English grammar, there are a number of sentence structures that you can use to make your speech or
writing sound or look a lot more organized, interesting and professional. Some of the commonly used
sentence structures are as follows.
Subject + Verb (SV)
Subject + Verb + Object (SVO)
Subject + Verb + Complement (SVC)
Subject + Verb + Adjunct (SVA)
Subject + Verb + Object + Complement (SVOC)
Subject + Verb + Object + Adjunct (SVOA)
Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object (SVIODO)
Adjunct + Subject + Verb + Complement (ASVC)
Adjunct + Subject + Verb + Object (ASVO)
Adjunct + Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object (ASVIODO)
Subject + Verb + Adjunct + Adjunct (SVAA)
Adjunct + Subject + Verb + Adjunct + Adjunct (ASVAA)
Examples of Sentence Structure
Looking at examples will help you understand how each sentence structure works. So, here are a few
examples for you.
SV
The stars / are shining.
Subject / Verb
The birds / are chirping.
Subject / Verb
It / is raining.
Subject / Verb
SVO
Children / love / ice creams.
Subject / Verb / Object
Noah / does not like / bitter gourd.
Subject / Verb / Object
I / have / a pencil.
Subject / Verb / Object
SVC
I / am / an Indian.
Subject + Verb + Complement
Carol / is / a nurse.
Subject + Verb + Complement
My name / is / Gina.
Subject + Verb + Complement
SVA
Madhu / reached / early.
Subject / Verb / Adjunct
All of us / are leaving / for Tokyo.
Subject / Verb / Adjunct
He / went / upstairs.
Subject / Verb / Adjunct
SVOC
We / lost / out cat, / Quinny.
Subject / Verb / Object / Complement
My friends / make / me / happy.
Subject / Verb / Object / Complement
Everyone / found / the book / controversial.
Subject / Verb / Object / Complement
SVOA
It / is / my birthday / next month.
Subject / Verb / Object / Adjunct
Lakshmi / reached / school / after 9 a.m.
Subject / Verb / Object / Adjunct
My brother / plays / football / every day.
Subject / Verb / Object / Adjunct
SVIODO
The Board / offered / me / the job.
Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object
Rohit / gave / Reshmi / his favorite book.
Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object
Neetu / bought / herself / a hat.
Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object
ASVC
Suddenly, / it / grew / dark.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Complement
Normally, / the weather / is / good.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Complement
Occasionally, / my dog / gets / restless.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Complement
ASVO
Last week, / we / celebrated / Holi.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Object
Usually, / we / get / a token.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Object
Every year, / we / visit / the orphanage.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Object
ASVIODO
Today, / the teacher / gave / us / our papers.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object
Yesterday, / my mom / bought / me / a bicycle.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object
Every time he comes home, / my brother / gets / my mom / her favorite chocolates.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object
SVAA
They / go / to work / by bus.
Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Adjunct
We / meet / every evening / on the way back home.
Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Adjunct
Jancy / went / to the grocery store / last Saturday.
Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Adjunct
ASVAA
Normally, / my parents / come / by bus / to Pondicherry.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Adjunct
Last year, / my friends and I / went / to Meghalaya / for a month.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Adjunct
Usually, / Finn’s parents / would come / to the airport / as soon as his flight lands.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Adjunct
Check Your Understanding of Sentence Structure
Now that you have gone through a number of examples, apply your knowledge to identify the sentence
structure of the following sentences. Make sure you split the sentences according to the sentence
structure.
1. My dog is acting weird lately.
2. It is getting too cold here.
3. The sky is blue.
4. Every year, the company updates its registry.
5. Brittany bought me a pair of shoes.
6. Nobody knows the answer.
7. The movie was great.
8. I will come home as soon as I finish work.
9. In September, she will be travelling to New York.
10. My brother’s phone is not working.
Check if you got it right from the answers given below.
1. My dog / is acting / weird / lately.
Subject / Verb / Complement / Adjunct (SVCA)
2. It / is getting / too /cold / here.
Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Complement / Adjunct (SVACA)
3. The sky / is / blue.
Subject / Verb / Complement (SVC)
4. Every year, / the company / updates / its registry.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Object (ASVO)
5. Brittany / bought / me / a pair of shoes.
Subject / Verb / Indirect Object / Direct Object (SVIODO)
6. Nobody / knows / the answer.
Subject / Verb / Object (SVO)
7. The movie / was / great.
Subject / Verb / Complement (SVC)
8. I / will come / home / as soon as I finish work.
Subject / Verb / Adjunct / Adjunct (SVAA)
9. In September, / she / will be travelling / to New York.
Adjunct / Subject / Verb / Adjunct (ASVA)
10. My brother’s phone / is not working.
Subject / Verb (SV)
Give some examples of sentence structure.
SVO – The students completed their assignments.
SVC – My mom is a teacher.
ASVO – Last week, we watched a movie.
ASVA – Normally, I don’t go to the hospital.
SVOAA – The boys were playing football on the turf all day.
