The English sentence follows a basic pattern: first, the simple subject, followed by the simple verb, often finishing with a complement.

• the simple subject -- is the first major element in the English sentence. This subject consists of a noun or pronoun that often initiates the action of the verb. To find the simple subject, just ask the question who or what in front of the verb. For instance, in the sentence "Children play," we find the verb--play--and then ask the question "Who plays?" The answer is Children, the simple subject of the sentence.

• the verb -- is the second major element in the sentence. In its basic form, it makes a statement or assertion about the subject. That statement may be a physical or mental action, or the verb may assert that the subject exists in some kind of state. For example, in the sentence "I run," run is the action word, the verb. In the sentence, "He is my brother," the verb is expresses that the subject he exists in the physical state of being my brother. In the sentence "I am sick," the verb am tells us that the subject I exists in a state of sickness. To find the verb, therefore, look for the action, assertion, statement, or state of being that the subject initiates or finds itself in. In the sentence below, play is the verb. What action do the children perform? they play.

• the complement is the third major element in the sentence. Although it is not always necessary to have a complement in a sentence, one does often appear. If it does, the most commonly occurring complement is the direct object. A direct object is a noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb. It usually answers the question whom or what after the verb. Children play what? Children play marbles. Marbles is, therefore, the direct object in the sentence.

Once you understand this basic structure, you will grasp more easily how the rest of the English sentence -- no matter how complex it becomes -- builds on this pattern.

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