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SENTENCE STRUCTURE
The word sentence means a group of words, usually containing a verb, which expresses a complete thought in the form of a
statement, question, instruction or exclamation and starts with a capital letter when written. Every sentence has a subject and a
predicate.
agentthe person or thing that takes action to do something.

He sang a song for them.

The wind blew the leaves.

In a sentence in the active voice, the agent is usually (but not always) the subject (" Omar selected the winners"). In a sentence in the
passive voice, the agent--if identified at all--is usually the object of a preposition ("The winners were selected by Omar"). The
relationship of the subject and verb is called agency.
patientthe person or thing that undergoes the action of the verb. The thing acted upon.

He sang a song for them..

Active: Orna baked these cookies. (subject = agent; object = patient)

Passive: These cookies were baked by Orna. (subject = patient; object = agent)

SUBJECT
The noun or noun phrase that tells whom or what the sentence addresses.

Roger decided to save more money.

Almost all cats dislike water.

Full or complete subject: the subject and all the words that modify it.

Patrick Henrys dream of freedom for all citizens compelled him to make his famous declaration.

The woman in red runs on the beach every day.

Simple subject: the main noun of the complete subject.

Patrick Henrys dream of freedom for all citizens compelled him to make his famous declaration.

The woman in red runs on the beach every day.

Compound subject: a complete subject with multiple simple subjects.

Miguel and the young boy became friends.

PREDICATE
A verb or verb phrase telling what the subject does or is.
Full or complete predicate: the verb of the sentence and all the words that modify it.

The old dog climbs slowly up the stairs.

Simple predicate: the main verb in the full predicate that indicates the action or state of being of the simple subject.

The old dog climbs slowly up the stairs.

Compound predicate: a complete predicate with multiple verbs.

He thought of his lover and missed her dearly.

The goose was looking straight ahead and running for the pond.
Example:

The audience littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn.
The verb in the above sentence is "littered."
Who or what littered? The audience did.
"The audience" is the subject of the sentence.
The predicate (which always includes the verb) goes on to relate something about the subject: what about the audience? It "littered
the theatre floor with torn wrappings and spilled popcorn."
The following are some examples; there is a slash (/) between the subject and the predicate:

Bob / threw the ball.

We / can't go to Julia's party because we /'re going away that weekend.

Like so many companies at that time, we / had to borrow heavily to survive.

Roger / decided to save more money.

Patrick Henrys dream of freedom for all citizens / compelled him to make his famous declaration.
Miguel and the young boy / became friends.
The old dog / climbs slowly up the stairs.
Judy and her dog / run on the beach every morning.
The audience / littered the theatre floor with torn wrappings and popcorn.
A piece of pizza / would satisfy his hunger.

OBJECT
A verb may be followed by an object that completes the verb's meaning. Two kinds of objects follow verbs: direct objects and
indirect objects.

Direct Object
(what/whom?)
A noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives the action of a verb. The direct object can be found by asking Who or what was
affected by the verbs action?
Note:

Only action verbs take direct object.

(objects in italics)
Jason hit the ball. (What did Jason hit? The ball. the ball is the DO of the sentence.)
I saw Jimmy on my way home. (Who did you see on the way home? Jimmy. Jimmy is the DO of the sentence).
She threw the ball. (She is the subject, threw is the verb, and ball is the object that was thrown.)
We bought forty pounds of fertilizer. (We is the subject, and the verb is bought. The thing bought is fertilizer.)
The advertising executive drove a flashy red Porsche.
Mary hates wearing hand-me-down clothes.
Her secret admirer gave her a bouquet of flowers. (her: indirect object.)
I gave the book to my cousin.
I gave it to the boss.
Jason hit the ball.
I saw Jimmy.
She hates biting her fingernails.
Mel likes when there is good food.

Exercise
Mark the subject, verb, and direct object in the following sentences.
1)

He drove the car.

2)

We saw seven elephants at the zoo.

3)

The dog stole meat off the grill.

4)

It took two hours.

5)

She asked him for the answers.

6)

He told her no invitation was required.

7)

The dog caught the Frisbee.

Answers
1) He: subject, drove: verb, the car: direct object / 2) We: subject, saw: verb, seven elephants at the zoo: direct object / 3) The dog: subject, stole: verb, meat off the grill:
direct object / 4) It: subject, took: verb, two hours: direct object / 5) She: subject, asked: verb, him: direct object, for the answers: prepositional object / 6) He: subject,
told: verb, her: indirect object, no invitation was required: direct object / 7) The dog: subject, caught: verb, the Frisbee: direct object

Indirect Object
(for/to whom/what?)
An indirect object (which, like a direct object, is always a noun or pronoun) is the recipient of the direct object. For an indirect object
to appear in a sentence, the sentence must first have a direct object. Some action verbs also have indirect verbs. To determine if a
verb has an indirect object, isolate the verb and ask to whom?, to what?, for whom?, or for what? after it. The answer is the indirect
object.
NOTE: If there is an IO in the sentence, you should be able to re-write that sentence with to/for in front of the IO.

Jim built his granddaughter a sandcastle on the beach. (What did Jim build? A sandcastle. a sandcastle is the DO of
the sentence. / For whom did Jim build the sandcastle on the beach? His granddaughter. his granddaughter is the
IO of the sentence.)

We told mom a lie. (What did you tell? A lie. a lie is the DO of the sentence. / To whom did you tell a lie? Mum.
mum is the IO of the sentence.)

I gave my cousin the book. (I gave the book to my cousin. my cousin: IO)

I handed him my application. (I handed my application to him. him: IO)

Tomas paid the mechanic 20 dollars. (to the mechanic)

I sent Mary some flowers. (to Mary)

They gave Harold a new car. (Harold: IO, a new car: DO)
Note:

If the verbs read and write are only followed by the indirect object, a preposition must be used.
Ill write to you soon. (not Ill write you)
Ill write you a letter. Ill write a letter to you. (both sentences are correct)

Note:

We can use the verbs promise, show, and tell with the indirect object only, but without a preposition.
I cant promise you. (or I cant promise it to you. with two objects)
Show him. (or Show it to him.)
Can you tell me?

Prepositional Object
A noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that ends a phrase begun by a preposition.

I gave the book to my cousin. To whom should I submit my application?

Note:

Not all verbs are followed by objects. Consider the verbs in the following sentences:
The guest speaker rose from her chair to protest. (rise is an intransitive verb)
After work, Randy usually jogs around the canal.
The interior of the beautiful new Buick smells strongly of fish.

Exercise
Identify only the subject, the direct object, and the indirect object or the object of the preposition in each sentence.
Example: Our teacher gave us some work to do.
subject: teacher / Direct object: work / Indirect object: us
1. We sent a package to our relatives in Iowa.
2. He told his parents a lie.
3. Please hand me the remote control for the TV. (The subject is "you" in the imperative form)
4. Tina is making dinner for us.
5. Our boss is buying us dinner.
6. A movie on TV gave me the chills.
7. Wish me luck.
8. His grandmother sends him five dollars on his birthday every year.

9. They tried giving their baby some mashed peas.

10. John paid the bill for us.
Answers
1. subject: we / direct object: package / object of the preposition: relatives 2. subject: He/ direct object: lie/ indirect object: parents 3.
subject: You/
direct object: control/ indirect object: me 4. subject: Tina/ direct object: dinner/ object of the preposition: us 5. subject: boss/ direct object: dinner/ indirect
object: us 6. subject: movie/ direct object: chills/ indirect object: me 7. subject: You/ direct object: luck/ indirect object: me 8. subject: grandmother/ direct
object: dollars/ indirect object: him 9. subject: They/ direct object: peas/ indirect object: baby 10. subject: John/ direct object: bill/ object of the preposition: us

Exercise
Identify only the, the direct object, and the indirect object in each sentence.
Example: Our teacher gave us some work to do.
IO
DO
1.

Jane told me a secret.

2.

Johns father left him a huge property.

3.

Call me a taxi.

4.

My mother gifted me a necklace.

5.

My friend did me a great favour.

6.

She lent me her necklace.

7.

The principal granted us leave.

8.

I promised him my support.

9.

The President awarded him a gold medal.

10.

Our guide told us an interesting story.

11.

I bade my friends a sad farewell.

Answers
1. me: IO / a secret: DO 2. him: IO / a huge property: DO 3. me: IO / a taxi: DO 4. me: IO / a necklace: DO 5. me: IO / a great favour: DO 6. me: IO / her necklace:
DO 7. us: IO / leave: DO 8. him: IO / my support: DO 9. him: IO / a gold medal: DO 10. us: IO / an interesting story: DO 11. my friends: IO / a sad farewell: DO

COMPLEMENTS
Complement is the term used for a word (or words) which are needed to complete the meaning of an expression. Most phrases and
clauses will include a complement of some kind. If you can't remove it from your sentence, then it's likely to be a complement.
Complements are not optional. They are essential to ensure understanding.

Subject Complements
A subject complement is the adjective, noun, or pronoun that follows a linking verb.
The following verbs are true linking verbs: any form of the verb be (am, is, are, was, were, has been, are being, might have been, etc.),
become, and seem. These true linking verbs are always and only linking verbs. There are also verbs that can be both linking and
action (dynamic) verbs such as appear, feel, grow, look, prove, remain, smell, sound, taste, and turn.

Notice the linking verbs in the following examples (italics: subject complements):

John is weak. (ADJ as SC) - The adjective weak tells us something about the subject, John. This is an example of a subject
complement.
John is a student. (NP as SC) - The noun phrase a student tells us something about the subject (John). This is another
example of a subject complement.
She is out of order.
He was a radiologist before he became a full-time yoga instructor.
Your homemade chili smells delicious. (Note that a subject complement can be either a noun -"radiologist", "instructor"- or
an adjective -"delicious"-.)
I can't smell anything with this terrible cold. (**Here, smell is an action/dynamic verb; the sentence has a DO anything
but it does not have a SC.)
The Prime Minister is asleep at the moment.
Brandon is a gifted athlete. (NP as SC)
It was he who caught the winning touchdown Friday night. (pronoun as SC)
Brandon was embarrassed when people compliment his skill. (adjective as SC)
Melanies face will turn red when she reads this. (turn: linking v. / adjective as SC)
The crowd appeared calm.
Jeremy is extremely dull when it comes to summertime activities.
My sister looked really happy on her wedding day.
Ben is a policeman.
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
If you put butter and salt on popcorn, it tastes like salty butter.
Did you taste the pie? It tastes divine.
I felt the surface. It felt quite smooth.
The lake was a tranquil pool.
That is what my point is.
The light in the chapel was warm and soft.
Mrs. Rigney was my fourth-grade teacher.
Your room must be the one next to mine.
The upstairs tenant seemed a reliable person.
A university is a community of scholars.
You should be more careful.
The distinction became quite clear.
The corridor is too narrow.

Object Complements
An object complement is similar to a subject complement, except that (obviously) it modifies an object rather than a subject.
Consider this example of a subject complement:

The driver seems tired. (tired SC)

In this case, as explained above, the adjective "tired" modifies the noun "driver," which is the subject of the sentence.
Sometimes, however, the noun will be the object, as in the following example:

I consider the driver tired.

In this case, the noun "driver" is the direct object of the verb "consider," but the adjective "tired" is still acting as its complement.
Examples:
(underlined: DO italics: OC)

The vote made John's position untenable. (ADJ as OC) The adjective untenable tells us something about the object
(John's position).

We voted John chairman. (N as OC) The noun chairman tells us something about the object (John).

Paint it black.

She makes me happy.

The judge ruled her out of order.

I saw the Prime Minister sleeping.

My brother named the dog Hugo.

I prefer my coffee black.

We painted the wall red.

Bob considered the experiment a success.

I caught the thief stealing some money.
Everybody wanted him to join the club.
The ride made the children sleepy.
The team voted Kelly captain of the team.

EXERCISE
Underline the direct objects and circle the object complements in the following sentences.
1)

The class elected her president for the year.

2)

She named her brown puppy Spots.

3)

We painted the fence around the yard green.

4)

The bad food made the Jackson family sick.

5)

Kevin called his sweet mother Mom.

6)

The sunburn turned Taras face red.

7)

The audience found the play about the pioneers boring.

8)

The judge selected the black cow the grand prize winner.

9)

Carl thought his older sister bright.

10) The student considered the English test difficult.

Answers
1) her: DO, president: OC 2) her brown puppy: DO, Spots: OC 3) the fence around the yard: DO, green: OC 4) the Jackson family: DO, sick: OC 5) his sweet mother:
DO, Mom: OC 6) Tara^s face: DO, red: OC 7) the play about pioneers: DO, boring: OC 8) the black cow: DO, the grand prize winner: OC 9) his older sister: DO,
bright: OC 10) the English test: DO, difficult: OC

Exercise
Each of the following sentences contains a complement. Underline the complement in each sentence, and note whether it is a
subject complement (SC) or an object complement (OC).
1.

Pablo is extremely intelligent. (___________)

2.

I find him intelligent. (___________)

3.

Ginger's hair dye turned the water pink. (___________)

4.

After our fight on the first day of school, Jenny became my friend for life. (___________)

5.

We painted the ceiling blue. (___________)

6.

You are making me angry. (___________)

7.

Paula is a good dancer. (___________)

8.

Dorothy named her parakeet Onan. (___________)

9.

Known as "the father of the Texas blues," Blind Lemon Jefferson was a popular entertainer in the 1920s. (___________)

10. The gift Karen gave her brother was a hamster. (___________)
ANSWERS:

1. extremely intelligent: SC / 2. him: DO, intelligent: OC / 3. the water: DO, pink: OC / 4. my friend for life: SC / 5. the ceiling: DO, blue: OC / 6. me: DO, angry: OC / 7. a good dancer:
SC / 8. her parakeet: DO, Onan: OC / 9. a popular entertainer: SC / 10. a hamster: SC

Exercise
Identify the subject, verb, subject complement, direct object, indirect object and object complement in the following sentences.
1.

George is the captain.

2.

The judge pronounced the judgment.

3.

My sister looked worried.

4.

Parents should be kind to their children.

5.

Mother brought us tea.

6.

The officer asked him several questions.

7.

Let us send him our greetings.

8.

We should keep our surroundings clean.

9.

My aunt has brought me a computer.

10. The class elected Martin their monitor.

11.

Our visit made the host happy.

12. This book is interesting.

Answers:

1. George: S, is: V, the captain: SC / 2. The judge: S, pronounced: V, the judgment: DO / 3. My sister: S, looked: V, worried: SC / 4. Parents: S, should
be: V, kind to their children: SC / 5. Mother: S, brought: V, us: IO, tea: DO / 6. The officer: S, asked: V, him: IO, several questions: DO / 7. Let us send:
V, him: IO, our greetings: DO / 8. We: S, should keep: V, our surroundings: DO, clean: OC / 9. My aunt: S, has brought: V, me: IO, a computer: DO /
10. The class: S, elected: V, Martin: DO, their monitor: OC / 11. Our visit: S, made: V, the host: DO, happy: OC / 12. This book: S, is: V, interesting: SC

CLAUSE
A part of a sentence that contains its own subject and predicate.
Independent clause: a clause that could function as its own sentence.

When the Mets are playing, the stadium is full.

Dependent clause: a clause that cannot function as its own sentence. A dependent clause relies on an independent clause to
complete its meaning.
A dependent clause can function as a noun,

I realized that I owed Patrick fifty dollars.

as an adverb,

When the Mets are playing, the stadium is full.

or as an adjective.

The beef that I ate for dinner made me queasy.

Elliptical clause: a type of dependent clause with a subject and verb that are implied rather than expressed.

Though unhappy, she still smiled.

In the clause Though unhappy, the subject and verb she was are implied: Although (she was) unhappy.

PHRASE
A group of related words without a subject or predicate.
Noun phrase: a phrase that acts as a noun. A noun phrase can function as
a subject,

The snarling dog strained against its chain.

an object,

He gave her the book of poems.

a prepositional object,

The acrobat fell into the safety net.

a gerund phrase,

Dancing the tango is a popular activity in Argentina.

or an infinitive phrase.

To dream is to be human.

Adjective phrase: a phrase that modifies nouns or pronouns. Participial phrases and many prepositional phrases are adjective
phrases.

The actor playing Puck left much to be desired.

Adverb phrase: a phrase that begins with a preposition, and that functions as an adverb.

The theatre was crowded with the actors fans.

Prepositional phrase: a phrase made up of a preposition, its object, and its modifiers.

The roof of the old theatre was leaking badly.

MODIFIERS
A word or phrase that modifies or adds information to other parts of a sentence. Adjectives, adverbs, and many phrases and clauses
are modifiers.

Pre-modifiers

football game (n)

a wooden floor (adj)
lead pipes (adj)
round-the-clock service
reduced/increased prices (participle)
a bearded man

Post-modifiers

the meal afterwards (adverb)

the day before
the trip abroad
your friend here
the players offside
The man working behind the desk is my cousin.
A tile falling from a roof damaged his car.
It was a mixture consisting of water, oil and vinegar.
The car repaired by the mechanic is very old.
The place to stay is the guest house.

Limiting modifier: a word or phrase that limits the scope or degree of an idea. Words like almost, only, or barely are modifiers.

It was almost time for dinner.

Restricting modifier: a phrase or clause that restricts the meaning of what it modifies and is necessary to the idea of its sentence.

Any dog that has not had its shots should be taken to a veterinarian immediately.
Non-restricting modifier: a modifier that adds information but is not necessary to the sentence. Commas, dashes, or parentheses set
apart non-restricting modifiers.

Seventeenth-century poets, many of whom were also devout Christians, wrote excellent poetry.

We could hear the singing birda wren, perhaps, or a robinthroughout the forest.