Lesson 2: Basic Sentence Structure: Subject, Verb, Object, Complement

The parts of a sentence are the subject, verb, object, complement and adverbial.

There are five main structures which we can use to make a simple statement.

1

Subject	Verb
My legs	are hunting.
Someone	arrived.

2

Subject	Verb	Object
I	want	a break.
Three workers	are lifting	the table.

The subject and object can be a pronoun (e.g. I) or a noun phrase (e.g. the table).

3

Subject	Verb	Subject complement
The suitcase	is	bulky.
It	was	a touch decision.

Subject complements follow linking verbs (e.g., be, appear, become, get, feel, look, seem, stay, sound). They describe or rename the subject. They can be:

• An adjective → The bag is bulky. (Predicate adjective)
• A noun phrase → It was a tough decision. (Predicate nominative)

In addition, other verbs that commonly take a subject complement (also called linking verbs) include: remain, turn, grow, prove, act.

Structure of a noun phrase

A noun phrase is a group of words that work together as a noun within a sentence. It usually consists of a noun as the main word and may include modifiers (such as determiners, adjectives, or other descriptive words). A noun phrase can function as a subject, object, or complement in a sentence.

A noun phrase typically includes:

1. Determiner (optional): a, the, my, some, this, etc.
2. Adjective(s) (optional): big, beautiful, interesting, etc.
3. Noun (required – the main word): book, car, idea, problem, etc.
4. Additional modifiers (optional): prepositional phrases, relative clauses, etc.

“a tough decision” is a noun phrase. It consists of:

• “a” (determiner)
• “tough” (adjective modifying the noun)
• “decision” (the main noun)

In the sentence “It was a tough decision,” the noun phrase “a tough decision” functions as the subject complement (also called a predicate nominative), following the linking verb “was.”

Examples of a noun phrase

• “The big house” → (Determiner: The + Adjective: big + Noun: house)
• “A difficult question” → (Determiner: A + Adjective: difficult + Noun: question)
• “My best friend” → (Determiner: My + Adjective: best + Noun: friend)
• “The book on the table” → (Noun book + Prepositional Phrase on the table as a modifier)

Noun phrases in sentences

• Subject: The big house is beautiful.
• Object: She bought a difficult question to answer.
• Complement: It was a big problem.

4

Subject	Verb	Adverbial complement
It	is	on my foot.
The park	is	downtown.

An adverbial can be a prepositional phrase (e.g. on my foot) or an adverb (e.g. closed).

5

Subject	Verb	Indirect Object	Direct Object
It	‘s causing	me	trouble.
Sarah	gave	Tom	a present.

We use two objects after verbs like give and send (next lesson).

Adverbials

We can add adverbials to all five main structures.

My arms are aching terribly.

I really need a rest.

Unfortunately, it was a tough decision.

To everyone's surprise Sarah actually gave Tom a present today.

I want a break for a few minutes. (adverbial phrase)