Dear students and parents, we have prepared an English lesson for you, which will help you understand the basic rules when building an English sentence. First, we will consider the types of sentences for the verbs used, and then we will learn how to build affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences. At the end of the article are tables that can be saved and printed to be used as visual material.
Types of offers.
In English, there are two types of sentences: with a regular verb denoting an action, feeling or state, and with a copula verb to be. Now we will tell you what the difference is. If in Russian we use a verb, then in English a verb will also be used. For example, "I go to school" - here the verb "go", which in English sounds like "go". We put this verb in the English sentence: “I go to school”. If in Russian there is no verb, or rather, there is a verb “is”, which, according to the rules of the Russian language, is omitted (The weather is good - The weather is good), then in English this place is taken by the verb to be, which is translated as “is”, "to be", "to exist". In other words, in Russian we often use sentences without a verb, in English this is impossible!
Consider first sentences with ordinary verbs, they have one trick - in the third person singular, the ending -s or -es is necessarily added to the verb. The third person singular is a noun meaning he, she or it, that is, not you or me, but someone one third. At first glance, this seems complicated and incomprehensible, but in fact, this rule makes learning English very easy! There is no person conjugation in English. See how difficult Russian is and how easy English is:
I I go to school. I go to school.
Vasya (he) walks to school. Vasya goes to school.
Nastya (she) walks to school. Nastya goes to school.
They are walk to school. They go to school.
We we go to school. We go to school.
While in Russian the verb endings actively change by person: I go, walk, walk, walk, in English only in the third person singular (he and she) did the ending -es appear. If the verb ends in a consonant, then -s is added (swim - swim s), and if on a vowel, then -es (go - go es).
Consider examples with the verb to be. If in Russian we do not use the verb (that is, we omit the verb “is”), then in the English translation the verb to be will appear. Katya (is) a beautiful girl. There is no verb in Russian, in English there will be a verb to be in the form is: Katya is a beautiful girl.
The difficulty is that the verb to be has three forms that you need to know by heart:
- am- we use it when we talk about ourselves: I (am) a schoolboy. I am a pupil
- is- use in the third person singular (he, she, it): Katya (she) is a beautiful girl. Katya is a beautiful girl.
- are- we use it in the plural or in the second person (we, they, you, you): Vanya and Petya (they) are best friends. Vanya and Petya are best friend.
Affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences.
Recall once again that in English there are two types of sentences: with an ordinary verb, which has a corresponding translation into Russian, and with the verb to be, which is omitted in Russian. These two types of sentences have a different structure. Let's start with the verb to be. Let's analyze the same examples, but in different forms: affirmative, interrogative and negative. Read carefully the Russian sentences and their translation into English, try to determine the pattern.
I am a student. I am a pupil.
Am I a student? Am I'm pupil?
I am not a student. I am not a pupil.
Katya is a beautiful girl. Katya is a beautiful girl
Is Katya a beautiful girl? Is Katya a beautiful girl?
Katya is an ugly girl. Katya is not a beautiful girl.
Vanya and Petya are best friends. Vanya and Petya are best friend.
Vanya and Petya are best friends? Are Vanya and Petya best friends?
Vanya and Petya are not best friends. Vanya and Petya are not best friend.
So, in an affirmative sentence in English, there is a strict word order: subject (main noun), predicate (verb), secondary members of the sentence. If in Russian we can change the order of words as we please, while changing the meaning and emotional coloring, then in English this is strictly prohibited, you will not be understood. In Russian we say: “I love you”, “I love you” or “I love you” and so on, but in English there is only one option: “I love you” and nothing else. The same in the given examples: Katya is a beautiful girl. Where Katya is the subject, there is no predicate in Russian (it could be the verb “is”), a beautiful girl is the secondary members of the sentence. In an English sentence: Katya is the subject, is is the predicate, a beautiful girl are secondary members of the sentence. Hence the two rules:
- When constructing an interrogative sentence in English, the predicate (verb) comes first.
- When constructing a negative sentence, a negative particle not is added to the predicate (verb).
Now consider sentences with ordinary verbs, read the examples carefully:
I go to school. I go to school.
I go to school? Do I go to school.
I do not go to school. I do not go to school.
Nastya goes to school. Nastya goes to school.
Nastya goes to school? Does Nastya go to school?
Nastya does not go to school. Nastya doesn't go to school.
The principle is the same as in sentences with the verb to be, only instead of rearranging the verb itself, we have the so-called auxiliary verb to do. Why auxiliary? Because it helps us build the necessary sentence structure and grammar. Thus, when asked, it is not the main verb to go that goes to the first place, but the helper to do. When negated, the particle not is attached not directly to the main verb, but to the appeared verb to do. In addition, the verb to do always takes over the entire grammar of the main verb. In the second example, the verb to do took over the ending -es, which is given to the third person singular. Note that the ending of the main verb was gone because the auxiliary verb took it away.
Let's summarize the information received. To build a sentence in English, we first need to define a verb. Two options are possible: the usual verb, which has an analogue in English, denoting an action, feeling or state, or the verb to be, is to exist, which is not translated into Russian. Further, if this is a regular verb, you need to determine whether the ending will be -es (third person singular), if it is a verb to be, then you need to determine its form (am, is, are). We choose the necessary form of the sentence: affirmative, interrogative, negative. And we put everything in its place!
We use common abbreviations:
I am - i a m - I'm
he is - he i s - he's
she is - she i s - she's
it is - it i s - it's
they are - they a re - they're
we are - we are - we're
you are - you a re - you're
do not - don o t - don't
does not - doesn't - doesn't
Interesting fact: In affirmative sentences with a regular verb, the auxiliary verb to do is also sometimes used. It adds credibility and firmness to the proposal. For example:
I go to school. I go to school.
I do go to school! I really go to school!
You can choose the course of study that suits you on ours!
In the photo - Oksana Igorevna, a teacher at the OkiDoki language school
The rules for constructing sentences in English are quite strict. Unlike the Russian language, there is a clear word order here. If you know the basic construction of an English sentence, you can build any phrase.
The members of the sentence in English, as in Russian, are divided into main and secondary.
The main members of the sentence are those due to which the grammatical basis of the statement is formed. Without them, the proposal would not make sense. The main members are the subject and the predicate.
(Who?) They (what did?) thought. - They thought.
Who?) The cat (what is he doing?) is walking. – The cat is going.
(What?) The apple (what will it do?) will fall. - The apple will fall.
Subject
As a rule, the subject is expressed by a noun or a pronoun, this is the main character of the sentence, answering the questions “who?”, “What?”.
The noun is used in its standard dictionary form, singular or plural.
a product - products (product - products)
a magazine - magazines (magazine - magazines)
a university - universities (university - universities)
The article may be definite, indefinite, or absent at all, depending on the intended subject/person.
As for pronouns, personal pronouns in the nominative case are most often used as the subject: I (I), we (we), you (you / you), he (he), she (she), it (this / it) , they (they).
And also some indefinite and negative pronouns: someone/somebody (someone), no one/nobody (nobody), everyone/everybody (all), something (something), nothing (nothing), everything (everything), each (each).
In colloquial speech, it can be replaced by this (this), that (that).
In an affirmative sentence, the subject comes at the beginning of the sentence before the predicate.
Predicate
This part of the sentence is expressed by the verb and is the key when constructing sentences in English, because it shows at what time the action happened, is happening or will happen. The predicate answers the question “what to do?”.
There can be two verbs in the predicate, auxiliary and semantic.
An auxiliary verb is a verb that is used to express time. As such, it does not have such a meaning in itself and is not translated into Russian in any way. However, his presence is necessary if the temporary form requires it.
For Present Simple - do / does
For Past Perfect - had
For Future Continuous - will be
The main or semantic verb is a verb that expresses an action performed by the subject.
Examples:
She runs. - She is running.
We went. - We are going.
I want to be there. - I want to be there.
Secondary members of the sentence are those that explain the main ones. Without them, the sentence will still make sense, since they are not the grammatical basis of the sentence. The secondary members include definition, addition and circumstance.
Definition
This member of the sentence answers the questions "what?" and "whose?". The definition stands next to the subject or object and describes its properties; it can be expressed in almost any part of speech.
In most cases, the definition is expressed as:
- Adjectives: nice (cute), brave (brave).
- Participles: sold (sold), crying (crying).
- Participle turns: made of plastic (made of plastic), laughing out loud (laughing out loud).
- Numerals: first (first), thirty (thirty).
- Noun in the possessive case: Nick's (Nick), Diana's (Diana).
- Personal pronouns in the objective case: my (my), your (your).
I see a beautiful girl next to him. - I see (what?) a beautiful girl next to him.
My red cat is lying on the windowsill. - (Whose?) My (what?) red cat lies on the windowsill.
A definition can be placed either before the subject or before the object.
Her wavy hair is so beautiful. - Her wavy hair is so beautiful.
I have read a great book. - I read a wonderful book.
The definition, expressed by participial turnover, usually comes after the subject and object.
Example: The girl singing on stage is my sister. - The girl singing on stage is my sister.
Addition
According to the construction of sentences in English, the object is placed after the predicate. It can be expressed as a noun or pronoun, answers case questions.
I see a girl with him. - I see (who?) a girl (who?) with him.
She is reading a book to the children. - She reads (what?) a book (to whom?) to children.
There are two types of supplement:
- Direct - an addition that does not answer questions of the accusative case "who?", "What?".
- Indirect - an addition that answers all other case questions "who?", "what?", "to whom?", "what?".
If two types of complement are used at once in one sentence, the direct one is used first, and then the indirect one.
Example: I play a computer game with her. - I play a computer game with her.
Circumstance
This part of speech indicates the place, cause, time, mode of action, and the like. The circumstance is related to the predicate, but it can be used both at the beginning and at the end of the sentence. The first option is less common. The circumstance informs “where?”, “When?”, “How?”, “Why?” some action has taken place.
My red cat lies on the windowsill. - My red cat lies (where?) on the windowsill.
Yesterday I saw her with him. - (When?) Yesterday I saw her with him.
He behaved differently. - He behaved (how?) differently.
The circumstance can be expressed as:
- Adverb: today (today), slowly (slowly).
- Noun with a preposition: in Paris (in Paris), behind the scenes (behind the scenes).
How to write sentences in English - scheme
There are two main word orders in English: direct and reverse. Direct is used in affirmative and negative sentences, reverse - in questions.
The English sentence differs from the Russian one in word order. In Russian it is free, in English it is strictly defined.
Example: Mother was cleaning the frame. - Mom washed the frame. / Mom washed the frame. / Mom washed the frame.
Structure of affirmative and negative sentences
The direct word order in an English sentence is as follows: the subject comes first, the predicate comes second, and the object comes third. In some cases, circumstance may come first. In an English sentence, the main verb may have an auxiliary verb.
Word order in affirmative sentence:
1. Circumstance.
3. Predicate.
4. Addition (possibly with a definition).
5. Circumstance.
Yesterday I learned English words - Yesterday I learned English words.
Yesterday (adverb) I (subject) learned (predicate) English words (addition with a definition).
My little sister will visit me in three days - My little sister will visit me in three days.
My little sister (subject with definition) will visit (predicate) me (object) in three days (circumstance).
Word order in a negative English sentence is also direct. In order to show negation, the particle not is used, which corresponds to the Russian particle “not”. Also, in a negative sentence there is always an auxiliary verb, it is to it that not adjoins.
Word order in a negative sentence:
1. Circumstance.
2. Subject (possibly with a definition).
3. Auxiliary verb + not.
4. Main verb.
5. Addition (possibly with a definition).
Yesterday I did not learn English words - Yesterday I did not learn English words.
Yesterday (adverb) I (subject) did not (auxiliary verb + not) learn (main verb) English words (addition with definition).
My little sister will not visit me in three days - My little sister will not visit me in three days.
My little sister (subject with definition) will not (auxiliary verb + not) visit (main verb) me (object) in three days (circumstance).
Structure of interrogative sentences
When a question is asked in Russian, sometimes, only by the intonation of the speaker, you can determine that this is a question. When constructing English sentences in the form of a question, the subject and predicate are reversed - the reverse word order is used. But only a part of the predicate is placed in the first place - the auxiliary verb, and the main verb still comes after the subject.
They live in the city. - They live in the city.
Do they live in the city? - Do they live in the city?
Word order in an interrogative sentence:
Auxiliary.
Subject (possibly with a definition).
Main verb.
Complement (possibly with a definition)
Circumstance.
Did I learn English words? - I learned English words?
Did (auxiliary verb) I (subject) learn (main verb) English words (object with definition)?
Will my little sister visit me in three days? - Will my little sister visit me in three days?
Will (auxiliary verb) my little sister (subject with attribute) visit (main verb) me (object) in three days (circumstance)?
When answering a question, you can use a short answer. But in English you can't just say Yes/No, such an answer can be considered rude or unfriendly in some cases. A well-formed short answer should, in addition to Yes/No, contain a subject and an auxiliary verb.
Question: Do they work in the office? - Do they work in the office?
Answer: Yes, they do. / No, they don't. - Yes. / Not.
Question: Has he visited the British Museum? / Did he visit the British Museum?
Answer: Yes, he has. / No, he hasn't. - Yes. / Not.
Question: Will you call me? - Will you call me?
Answer: Yes, I will. / No, I won't. - Yes. / Not.
Question: Do you like tea? - Do you like tea?
Answer: Yes, I do. / No, I don't. - Yes. / Not.
Alternative grammatical constructions of English sentences
The construction of English sentences may in some cases deviate from the norm. Modern English is extremely rich in grammatical structures. Some of them are not the norm in the generally accepted sense, but reflect modern language trends. These include contraction (reduction), ellipsis (omission), insert (insert), preface and tag (introduction and tag).
Contraction - abbreviation
This phenomenon is quite familiar and understandable in most cases.
Examples: can't = cannot, don't = do not, I'm = I am
Abbreviations are considered a sign of conversational style, however, the above forms are the norm, that is, their use does not contradict established grammatical rules. According to the rules of colloquial English, it is possible to combine auxiliary verbs with modal ones when abbreviated, even with a negative particle not.
Examples: Mike couldn't've known about it. Mike didn't know about it. You shouldn't've gone there. You shouldn't have gone there.
In colloquial speech, abbreviation can be used if there is a subject expressed by several nouns.
Examples: Mark and Jenny've passed the exam. Mark and Jenny passed the exam. The President and his team're going to the summit. - The President and his team are going to the summit.
Ellipsis - omission
In colloquial speech, part of the traditional construction of the English sentence can be omitted, if the meaning of the statement is preserved. This phenomenon saves time and makes speech more fluent. Most often, words are skipped at the beginning of a sentence or not far from it.
You can drop:
- Auxiliary
Example: How are you doing? - How are you? Ellipsis: How are you doing? - How are you?
Example: I'm alright, thanks. - I'm fine, thank you. Ellipsis: Alright, thanks. - Well thank you.
- Subject + be/will
Example: I'll see you later. - See you later. Ellipsis: See you later. - See you later.
Example: I'm not sure about that. - I'm not sure about that. Ellipsis: Not sure about that. - Not sure.
- Parts of the interrogative form (often with the verbs see, hear, think)
Example: Are you going with us? - Are you coming with us? Ellipsis: Going with us? - Are you coming with us?
Example: Would you like some lemonade? - Would you like some lemonade? Ellipsis: (Some) lemonade? - Lemonade?
Example: Do you want some water? - Do you want water? Ellipsis: Want some water? - Do you want some water?
Example: Have you got a little time? - Do you have some time? Ellipsis: Got a little time? - Do you have time?
Example: Do you like it? - Do you like it? Ellipsis: Like it? - Like?
- Noun
Example: I can't complain. - I can't complain. Ellipsis: Can't complain. - Not complaining.
Example: I don't know. - I dont know. Ellipsis: Don't know. - I do not know.
- Article
Example: The delivery man's here. - The courier is here. Ellipsis: Delivery man's here. - The courier is here.
- It and there
Example: It might get colder tomorrow. - It might get colder tomorrow. Ellipsis: Might get colder tomorrow. - It might get colder tomorrow.
Example: Is anyone there? - Is there anyone there? Ellipsis: Anybody there? - Is there anyone?
The grammatical structures in Russian and English do not match, so the difference between a full and an elliptical sentence is not always visible in the translation, which sometimes may not be literal.
It is also possible to omit words at the end of a sentence, especially in short answers.
Question: Will you be at the meeting? - Will you be at the meeting?
Answer: I should be. - Must.
Question: Are you singing at the gala concert? - Do you sing at the gala concert?
Answer: I hope to. - Hope.
Insert - insert
The insertion of a word or expression in the construction of English sentences performs some communicative functions. For example, thinking out loud, emphasizing attention, agreeing, etc. Insertion usually helps speech sound more fluid and logical, it is not used in writing.
Insert examples:
- Well - an expression of doubt or pause before returning to the subject of the previous discussion.
Well, I haven't been there yet. Well, I haven't been there yet.
- Right - attracting attention, persuading that the listener agrees with what is being said.
right. Can you switch off your phones, please? - So. Could you please turn off your phones?
You're OK, right? - You're all right, right?
- I mean - paraphrase, explanation, clarification.
I speak this language, I mean, English. - I speak this language, I mean English.
- You know - the belief that the listener understands what is being said.
I really liked French cuisine, you know, frogs' legs and so on. - I really liked French cuisine, you know, frog legs and so on.
- OK - the belief that the listener agrees with what was said, usually stands at the end of the statement.
See you at 5, OK? - See you at 5, okay?
- Now - change the topic or return to the previous topic.
That was interesting. Now, who wants to listen to another story? - It was interesting. Now, who wants to hear another story?
- Like - pause, an indication that the statement is not completed and further information on the topic follows.
I didn't join them because it was, like, dangerous. “I didn't go with them because it was, well, dangerous.
Inserts can be used not only by the speaker, but also by the listener for one purpose or another.
Question: There's been another bank robbery. - There was another bank robbery.
Answer: Really? - Truth?
(insert used to show interest to the speaker)
Question: I'm sick and tired of his behaviour. - I'm fed up with his behavior.
Answer: Uh huh. - Well, yes.
(insert used by the listener to show tolerance, understanding what his interlocutor is saying)
Preface and tag - introduction and tag
Preface - an introductory word or phrase. Tag is a word (phrase) following the main statement. Both phenomena are used to make sure that the listener follows the train of your thoughts, understands what is being said.
An example with an introductory phrase: That night club, what's it called? - What's the name of that nightclub?
Tag example: What is she doing, that girl? What is she doing, that girl?
An introductory phrase or word can also be used to introduce a new topic.
Example: Ireland, what a lovely country it is! - Ireland, what a beautiful country!
Dima behaved well yesterday.
Yesterday Dima behaved well.
Dima behaved well yesterday.
Dima behaved well yesterday.
Dima behaved well yesterday.
Dima behaved well yesterday.
No matter how we say these sentences and in what order we put the words in them, their meaning will not change. With this example, we want to show the difference between the construction of Russian and English sentences. Indeed, it is precisely in the latter that such variations are impossible. All due to the fact that there are no endings in English, and in order not to lose the meaning that the speaker wants to convey, English philologists have established rules for composing sentences in English. They are quite clear and require strict adherence.
Consider the features of constructing affirmative sentences.
We have two spellings. The first option looks like this:
subject-predicate-object-adverb
She doesn't bake herself as a rule. Her boyfriend does it for her.
(She doesn't bake herself. Her boyfriend does)
He likes this book very much.
(He really likes this book.)
They will bring this book tomorrow.
(They will bring this book tomorrow)
The second option is written like this:
circumstance-subject-predicate-object
As a rule she doesn't bake herself. Her boyfriend does it for her.
(As a rule, she does not bake herself. Her boyfriend does it)
Yesterday Kevin met his classmates at the airport.
(Yesterday Kevin met his classmates at the airport.)
If we talk about interrogative sentences, it is worth noting that they also have characteristic features of writing.
In our article, we will learn how general and special questions are composed.
More about interrogative sentences:
Interrogative sentences in English
We build a general question according to the following scheme:
verb-subject- addition-circumstance
Will she be at the restaurant after 2?
(Will she be at the restaurant after two?)
Did you bring that book to the library?
(Did you bring that book to the library?)
We usually put “question-word” as the first word in interrogative sentences ( who, whom, where, why, what, which, when, whose, how, how much).
In second place we put an auxiliary verb ( am, is, are, does, did, do, will, shall, would, have, has, can, could, must, may, might, ought, need, should.) It is followed by the subject, the semantic verb, and the rest of the words.
How do you feel today?
(How do you feel today?)
How much sugar does she take in her coffee?
(How much sugar does she put in her coffee?)
Here we have given the main schemes for constructing sentences in English. But, there are some exceptions to the rules, and deviations from the given schemes. We invite you to learn about all these features at our school and get detailed information on this topic.
More significant success in building sentences in English will bring you the desire to think in English, and not just translate sentences from Russian. It will also be useful to watch movies or your favorite English series without translation and with subtitles. Firstly, it will bring not only the possibility of learning, but also spending time with pleasure. Secondly, visual memory will fix the textual accompaniment of the film, and you can always rewind the film and read unfamiliar phrases or words. The usefulness of American TV series also lies in the fact that they use a significant amount of slang sentences, exclamations and modern expressions, which, of course, you will need for everyday speech.
Our dear students, the entire Native English School team congratulates you on the upcoming Easter, wishes you sincerity from those around you, bright smiles, success in work, peace in your family and in your heart! See you! =)
Everyone has probably already understood that Basic English is the easiest English for beginners. Having memorized 850 words, you only need to learn how to put them into understandable and correct sentences. And here the most interesting begins.
In Russian, you can safely say: "Take an apple." At the same time, there is no need to specify which one (and so it is clear: the one that is offered). And meticulous Englishmen will surely insert one short but capacious word before the apple: either “a” or “the”. That is, articles. Thanks to these words, all speakers immediately understand that they mean any apple on the table or the same one with a red barrel and a happy worm inside.
The article "a" (or "an" before a word that begins with a vowel) is called the indefinite article. This means that you have not decided what you mean. But to be serious: such an article denotes ANY object. For example: “Take an apple” can be translated as “Take any apple (and which one is as far as your conscience is enough)”.
The article "the" is definite. That is, it is clear that this apple is clearly meant and no other. "Take the apple" translates as "Take THIS apple here (and move away from the table)."
There is only one pitfall: you cannot put the article “a” before some words. The fact is that it has evolved from the numeral one (one), therefore it is placed only before countable nouns. This means that you cannot say a meal, because food is always in the singular anyway.
2. Plural and ending -s (-es)
The plural in English is very easy: just add an s at the end of the word, and everything is in order: boys, mothers, oranges.
3. Forms of the verb to be
Probably, you have often witnessed the attempts of foreigners to speak Russian: "I am John." Whom he was going to eat or why he separately reports about his being - it seems incomprehensible to us. Because in Russian a sentence can easily consist of even one noun or verb: “Morning. It was getting light." The English do not know this. They do not have sentences without a subject or predicate. They would definitely add: “There is a morning. It was shining."
Therefore, it is important to always remember: do you want to translate a sentence from Russian, but there is no subject in it? Add a pronoun. Do you want to translate a sentence from Russian, but there is no predicate? Add a verb. Most often it is one of the forms of the verb "to be".
There are three forms in total:
Am- only for the pronoun I (I)
Is- for any other word in the singular
Are- for any other plural word.
For example, I want to say to you: "I am Vanya." What should be inserted between you and Vanya? I don't know what you thought, but I - about the form am. It turns out: I am Vanya.
What to put in the following sentences, guess for yourself: "He is Vasya", "They are Katya and Masha." Correctly. In the first case - is, in the second - are.
Now you can combine words-pictures and qualities with might and main: The apple is red. Balls are new.
4. Word order in an affirmative sentence
The English are very pedantic. Their sentences are built in a strict sequence: first the subject, then the predicate. You can't get chairs in the morning and money in the evening. This is in Russian we can say: "I'm tired." In English, this will be taken as an interrogative sentence, because the word order is broken.
So, we learn to make correct English sentences: I see a flag. You like the trousers.
5. Auxiliary verbs
For some reason, those who begin to learn English are very afraid of auxiliary verbs. In vain. They just help us build the kind of proposal we need.
In Basic English, the scope of these verbs is limited may, will, be, do, have:
. May helps build a request. For example, you are tired of sitting at a conference, raised your hand and innocently asked: May I go? If you nod your head, you can safely pack your suitcase and go home.
. w ill also in some way can indicate a request. Let's say Will you open the window, please? But in fact, most often this verb is used to form the future tense. For example, You will be there at 5.
. be we have already discussed in point 3.
. do helps to form questions and negative sentences (which we will talk about next time).
. have forms a perfect tense, and also means a forced action. For example, I have to go(I have to go). In addition, this verb is very often used for a polite request: Have a seat, please. Will you have a drink?(Sit down, please. Would you like something to drink?)
In principle, even such knowledge is already enough to communicate at a quite decent level with foreigners and be understood at the same time. But there are no limits to perfection. Which we will do next time, but you can and should pass grammar tests now.
The correct construction of sentences in English is impossible without knowledge of the basic laws of the formation of their structure. So, in Russian, to describe any situation, it is enough to take the words involved in it (names of concepts, objects, etc.) and connect them together using endings formed by declension in cases and numbers. However, the English language is devoid of such endings, and therefore the correct description of the situation can be achieved only if the words are arranged in sentences in a certain way.
Simple sentences and their classification
Simple English sentences are divided into two types - non-common and common. The former consist only of a subject and a predicate. It is important that the subject is in the first place, and the predicate is in the second. For example: "The bus stopped" ("The bus stopped").
The second type of simple sentences, in addition to the main members, involves the entry of minor ones (addition, definition, circumstance). The construction of sentences in English using secondary members allows us to clarify the main situation. For example: "The yellow bus stopped at the station" ("The yellow bus stopped at the station"). In this case, the first minor member of the sentence (yellow) acts as a definition and explains the subject (the bus), and the second - the circumstance of the place (at the station) and refers to the predicate (stopped).
construction scheme
As mentioned above, the endings in English words remain unchanged, so each word must be in the place strictly provided for it (this is called direct word order). Otherwise, the essence of the proposal will be distorted, and the person who reads it will receive incorrect, sometimes even opposite, information. And if in Russian we can say: “Yesterday I went to the cinema”, “I went to the cinema yesterday”, or “Yesterday I went to the cinema”, then the existing sentence schemes in English do not allow this.
Whereas in Russian the essence of the situation will be clear, even if the words are reversed, in English everything is different. For example, regardless of whether we say in Russian "Jack hit Jim" or "Jack hit Jim", the information will be received correctly. But in English, two such sentences as "Jack hit Jim" and "Jim hit Jack" have the opposite meaning. The former translates to "Jack hit Jim", while the latter translates to "Jim hit Jack". To avoid such misunderstandings, it is necessary to build sentences in English according to the following scheme: put the subject in the first place, the predicate in the second, the addition in the third and the circumstance in the fourth. For example: "We do our work with pleasure". It is also acceptable to place the circumstance of place and time before the subject, for example: "At the moment I am cooking dinner".
Negative sentences with not
Negative sentences in English have the following structure:
- Subject.
- The beginning of the predicate.
- Negative particle not.
- The end of the predicate.
- The nominal part of the predicate.
Examples include the following negative English sentences: "I'm not reading the book" or "I have not seen Kelly in a while" ("I haven't seen Kelly in a while = I Haven't seen Kelly in a while."
If verbs in Present Simple or Past Simple are used in negative sentences, then they are reduced to the form “do/does/did + main form”. For example, "I do not like mice" ("I do not like mice"), "She does not need help" ("She does not need help") or "Steven did not look tired" ("Steven did not look tired").
Negative sentences with negative words
In English, the negative type is possible not only using the particle not, but in another way. We are talking about building a construction with the content of negative words, which include the following: nobody (no one), never (never), nothing (nothing), none (none), nowhere (nowhere).
For example: "Nobody wanted to bring chair" ("No one wanted to bring a chair"). It is worth noting that in English one sentence cannot contain both the particle not and the negative word. So, the phrase “I don’t know anything” is translated into English as “I know nothing” and by no means “I do not know nothing”.
Interrogative sentences
Interrogative sentences can be presented in the form of general and special questions. So, general questions require a yes/no answer. For example: "Did you like the book?" (“Did you like the book?”) or “Have you ever been in the Paris?” (“Have you ever been to Paris?”). As for special questions, it may be necessary to compose sentences in English of this type when it is necessary to obtain more specific information on the question asked - color, time, name, object, distance, etc. For example: "What is your favorite movie?" (“What is your favorite movie?”) or “How long is the flight to Prague?” (“How long does it take to fly to Prague?”).
In the case of expressing the predicate with the verb to have or to be, general questions are built as follows: first the predicate, and then the subject. In the case when the predicate includes a modal or it is he who is placed before the subject. In the case of expressing the predicate with a verb in Present or Past Simple, you must use do / does or did.
As for the word order in the construction of a special question, it is the same as in general, except that at the beginning of the sentence there must be a question word: who (who), when (when), what (what), how long ( how long), where (where), how (how).
Imperative sentences
Considering the types of sentences in English, one cannot fail to mention imperative sentences. They are necessary to express a request, an inducement to some action, an order, and also a prohibition when it comes to the negative form.
The imperative sentence assumes a direct word order, but first the verb is put: “Give me my pen, please” (“Give me my pen, please”). In some cases, this construction may consist of only one verb: "Run!" (Run!). Wanting to soften the command or turn it into a request, the speaker can use would you, will you or won't you by placing them at the end of the sentence.
exclamatory sentences
The construction of sentences in the English language of the exclamatory type is carried out according to the same scheme as the usual one, however, they should be pronounced emotionally, and in writing at the end of such a construction, for example, “You are very beautiful!” (“You are very beautiful!”) or “I’m so happy!” ("I'm so happy!").
In the case when an exclamatory sentence requires additional reinforcement, you can use the interrogative words what and how. For example, "What a big house it is!" (“What a big house!”), “What a sad movie!” (“What a sad movie!”) or “How well Matt can dance!” ("How well Matt dances!"). It is worth noting that in the case of using the subject in the singular, the indefinite article a or an is required.
Complex sentences: definition and classification
In addition to simple sentences, there are also complex ones that are formed by combining the first. Compound and complex are types of sentences in English that have a complex structure. The difference between them is that the first one is a construction consisting of two independent simple sentences, and the second one is the main one and one or more dependent (subordinate) ones.
Compound sentences are built with the help of such as and (and), or (or), but (but), for (because), yet (nevertheless). As for the unions that are used for education, they are divided into the following groups:
- causes/effects: since (since), because (because), therefore (for this reason, therefore), so (therefore, so);
- time: before (before, before), while (while, while), after (after), when (when);
- others: although (despite the fact that), if (if), though (although), unless (if only).
In all simple sentences that make up complex ones, a direct order must be maintained. There are a huge number of sentences in the English language, but regardless of their type, the basic rule of construction must be observed.
Types of conditional sentences
In English, they are used to describe a situation with various signs. They can take various forms, but in most cases the following construction is used: "If Condition, (then) Statement" (If Condition, (then) Statement). For example, "If it is warm, many people prefer go to the park" ("If it's warm, many people prefer to go to the park"), "If you buy this dress, I will give you free gloves" ("If you buy this dress, I'll give you free gloves").
There are three types of conditional sentences in English. The first is used to denote real, feasible conditions relating to any of the times (future, present, past). To build such a construction in its main sentence, the verb is used in the future form, and in the subordinate clause - in the present.
The second describes unrealistic conditions that refer to the future or present. To create such a sentence in its main part, the verb should or would is used and the verb in the base form without the particle to, and in the subordinate clause - were for the verb to be or the Past Simple form for all the rest.
And the third covers unfulfilled conditions in the past. The main part of the sentence is built using the verb should / would and the verb in the present tense, and the subordinate clause is the verb in the Past Perfect form.
