Page 191 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Advanced Communication Skills

Notes Step 3: Classify the verb as action or non-action.
Note: Remember to classify the “main verb” in a verb phrase.
Step 4: If the verb is a non-action verb: Pattern 4 Example: Jack is polite. polite (complement-
predicate adjective)

Example: Estrada is my son. son (complement-predicate nominative)
Step 5: If the verb is an action verb: Patterns 1, 2, or 3
Step 6: Ask the action verb the question what? or whom?
Step 7: If no answer, Pattern 1

Example: He went to school. Went what? No answer. Went whom? No answer
Step 8: If an answer to the question what? or whom? Pattern 2 Example: Jim rides his bike
to school. Rides what? bike (direct object) Example: Jerri married my youngest
brother. Married whom? Brother (direct object)

Step 9: If not only and answer to what? or whom? But also an answer to for what? Or for
whom? Something is done: Pattern 3 Example: Shelia gave her husband a birthday
party. Gave what? Party (direct object) for whom? Husband (indirect object) Example:
Sherry’s husband bought her a fur coat. Bought what? Coat (direct object) for whom?
Her (indirect object)
10.4 Six Sentence Patterns

Sentence Patterns #1 - Noun / Verb
The most basic sentence pattern is a noun followed by a verb. It’s important to remember that
only verbs that do not require objects are used in this sentence pattern.

Example: People work.

Frank eats.
This basic sentence pattern can be modified by adding a noun phrase, possessive adjective, as
well as other elements. This is true for all the sentence patterns that follow.

Example: People work. -> Our employees work.
Frank eats. -> My dog Frank eats.

Sentence Patterns #2 - Noun / Verb / Noun
The next sentence pattern builds on the first pattern and is used with nouns that can take objects.

Example: John plays softball.
The boys are watching TV.
Sentence Patterns #3 - Noun / Verb / Adverb
The next sentence pattern builds on the first pattern by using an adverb to describe how an
action is done.

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