Page 192 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Unit 10: Basic Sentence Patterns

Notes
Example: Thomas drives quickly.
Anna doesn’t sleep deeply.

Sentence Patterns #4 - Noun / Linking Verb / Noun
This sentence pattern uses linking verbs to link one noun to another. Linking verbs are also
known as equating verbs - verbs which equate one thing with another such as ‘be’, ‘become’,
‘seem’, etc.

Example: Jack is a student.
This seed will become an apple.
Sentence Patterns #5 - Noun / Linking Verb / Adjective

This sentence pattern is similar to sentence pattern #4, but uses linking verbs to link one noun to
its description using an adjective.

Example: My computer is slow!
Her parents seem unhappy.
Sentence Patterns #6 - Noun / Verb / Noun / Noun

Sentence pattern #6 is used with verbs that take both direct and indirect objects.

Example: I bought Katherine a gift.

Jennifer showed Peter her car.

Basic Sentence Structure
Notes
There are five basic patterns around which most English sentences are built.* They are as
follows:

S-V Subject-Verb John sleeps.
Jill is eating.
Jack will arrive next week.
S-V-O Subject-Verb-Object I like rice.
She loves her job.
He's eating an orange.
S-V-Adj Subject-Verb-Adjective He is funny.
The workers are lazy.
Karen seems angry.
S-V-Adv Subject-Verb-Adverb Jim is here.
Flowers are everywhere.
No one was there.
S-V-N Subject-Verb-Noun She is my mom.
The men are doctors.
Mr. Jones is the teacher.

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