1. 6 Basic Sentence Patterns

2. Symbols S = Subject V = Verb DO= Direct Object IO = Indirect Object
OC = Objective Complement
PA= Predicate Adjective
PN= Predicate Nominative

3. Subject The person or thing about which something is being said.
Hint: To find the subject, put the word “Who or what” before the verb in the form of a question.
Sam smiled.
Who/what smiled? Sam
Sam is the subject.

4. Verb
The verb is the word which states the action or state of being of the subject in the sentence.
Sam smiled.
Smiled is the verb.

5. Sentence
A group of words with both a subject and a verb and makes a complete thought.

6. Action Verb Patterns
1. S-V
2. S-V-DO
3. S-V-IO-DO
4. S-V-DO-OC

7. 1. Subject- Verb S-V pattern The clown giggled. The child cried.
The worm wiggled.
The bus honked.

8. Direct Object
The direct object is a noun or pronoun which receives the action of the verb.
Hint: To find the direct object, take the verb and place the words whom or what after in a question form.
Sam held a book.
Ask: Sam held whom or what? Sam held a book.
Book is the direct object.

9. 2. Subject-Verb-Direct Object
S-V-DO pattern
The mouse ate the cheese.
The cat ate the mouse.
The owl ate the cat.
Henry shot the owl.

10. Indirect Object
The indirect object is the person or thing which is either helped or harmed by the action of the verb.
Hint: To find an indirect object, ask “to or for whom” the action is done.
Gertrude made her mother a gift.
Gertrude made a gift for whom or what?
For her mother
Mother is the indirect object.

11. 3. Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object
S-V-IO-DO pattern
The mother made the child dinner.
The child gave her mother a hug.
The teacher told the student the answer.
The carpenter built the customer a desk.

12. Object Complement
The object complement comes after a direct object and either renames the object or describes it.
Example: The electrician called the wiring a mistake.
Wiring is the direct object. Mistake renames it.
Mistake is an objective complement.

13. 4. Subject-Verb-Direct Object-Object Complement
S-V-DO-OC pattern
We named the child Robin.
The class elected the boy treasurer.
The committee called the festival Fall Fest.
Sam thought the assignment silly.

14. Linking Verb Patterns (a.k.a. subject complements)
Subject-LinkingVerb-Predicate Nominative
(S-LV-PN)
Subject-Linking Verb-Predicate Adjective
(S-LV-PA)

15. Symbols
S= Subject
LV= Linking verb (includes the being verb, the sense verbs (look, taste, feel, sound, smell), remain, become, appear, seems, etc.
PA= Predicate Adjective
PN= Predicate Nominative

16. Predicate Nominative A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun
comes after a linking verb
renames the subject

17. 5. Subject-LV-Predicate Nominative
S-LV-PN pattern
The nurse is a professional
Her mother is a lawyer.
The student is an achiever.
Harriot is a joker.

18. Predicate Adjective comes after a linking verb
is an adjective (modifies a noun or pronoun)
describes the subject

19. 6. Subject-LV-Predicate Adjective
S-LV-PA pattern
Latin is valuable.
The bus was blue.
The table was empty.
Shirley is sweet.

20. Recap of complements… Subject complement Object complement
Sentence pattern: S-LV-PN or S-LV-PA
Examples: Her mother is a lawyer.
The bus was blue.
Object complement
Sentence pattern: S-V-DO-OC
Example: The class elected the boy treasurer.

21. Decorating Your Sentence
The 6 basic patterns are just skeletons of sentences to be added to.
Modifiers (adjectives, adverbs, phrases, etc.) can be added to make the sentence more descriptive and interesting, but they do NOT affect the basic sentence pattern.