Pattern of English Sentence

COMMON PATTERN OF
ENGLISH SENTENCE

A. QUESTION SENTENCES
• IIn this type of sentence, the auxiliary is placed before the subject
• The auxiliary shows the form of tense
• If the sentence doesn’t have a verb, the auxiliary used is either “is”, “am”, or
“are”
• If the sentence has a verb, the auxiliary used can be “do”, “does”, “did”,
“will”, “shall”, “can”, “may”, “must”

1. Yes/No Question
Auxiliary + Subject Pronoun + Verb (simple) + Complement
Am/is/are + subject + complement + Modifer

EXAMPLES

1. Will we fast today?
2. Can you give me some examples?
3. Shall I give you all the books?
4. May I borrow your beaker glass?

5. Must I throw these away?
6. Am I your supervisor?
7. Are you my new assistance?
8. Is he our technician?
9. Did you fnd any difculties during the extraction?
10. Do you like to solve this sample in organic solution?
11. Does she smell similar favour before?

2. Information Question
Who/what + Verb + Complement + Modifer
Whom/What + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Modifer
How/why/where/when + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement + Modifer

EXAMPLES

1. Who made the reactor in this research?
2. Who was in charge to make the reactor in this research?
3. What makes you excited today?
4. What do you do to extract the volatile component in the pepper?
5. Whom will you go travelling with?

6. How do you extract the volatile component in the cloves?
7. Why did you extract the volatile component in the cinnamon?
8.

Where did you fnd the procedures for this extraction?

9. When are you going to fnish all your lab works?

3. Embedded Question

Subject + Verb (phrase) + Question Word + Subject + Verb
Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Question word + Subject + Verb

An embedded question is not a question which needs an answer.
It is only a statement that the subject of the sentence has a question that is not
answered yet.

EXAMPLES

1. I do not know yet where I am going to stay.

2. She did not say when she will come back.
3. We haven’t been told when we can use the instrument.
4. You must understand why I am angry
5. Does he know where the instruments are?
6. Shall I tell what the problem is?
7. Did the police tell you who the suspect was?
8. Do you get what you want?

4. Tag Question
Main clause + comma + Tag question

Tag Question :
1. Use the same auxiliary verb as in the main clause
2. If the main clause is afrmative, the question tag is negative
3. If the main clause is negative, the question tag is positive

EXAMPLES

1. This is your sample, isn’t it?
2. These are your samples, aren’t they?

3. You have already known where to go, haven’t you?
4. She did not know what to do, did she?
5. He hasn’t thrown away his used solvent, has he?
6. They send the leters to the ofce every day, don’t they?

B. AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCES
• An afrmative sentence declare something true or factual
• If one subject does one thing and another subject does the same, use the
word “so” or “too”
• Look at our example on how to write a sentence using conjunction and
followed by “so or too” to avoid repetition of word

1. To be as the verb

Subject

To be Adj/noun

and

so

to be

Subject

I

am

a lecturer

and

so

is

she

We

were

upset

and

so

were

they

Usman

is

here

and

so

is

his wife

Subject

To be Adj/noun

and

Subject

to be

too

I

am

a lecturer

and

she

is

too

We

were

upset

and

they

were

too

Usman

is

here

and

his wife

is

too

2. Auxiliary as the verb

Subject

Aux

verb

and

so

to be

Subject

Aisyah

will

cook

and

so

will

her husband

We

have

eaten

and

so

have

they

Imam

must

work

and

so

must

his friends

Subject

Aux

verb

and

Subject

aux

too

She

has

gone

and

her son

has

too

We

will

stay

and

they

will

too

Imam

must

work

and

his friends

must

too

3. Any verb except to be or auxiliary

Subject

verb

and so

Do/does/did

Subject

Aisyah

cooks dinner

and so

does

her husband

We

ate our dinner

and so

did

they

I

work at night

and so

do

my classmates

Subject

verb

and

Subject

Do/does/did too

She

cooks dinner

and

her husband

does

too

We

ate our dinner

and

they

did

too

Imam

works at night

and

his friends

do

too

C. NEGATION

• Similar to those rules for afrmative statements
• Use “neither” or “either” instead of “so” or “too”

1. To be as the verb

Subject

To be+not

Adj/n/adv

and

neither

to be

Subject

I

am not

a lecturer

and

neither

is

she

We

were not

upset

and

neither

were

they

Usman

is not

here

and

neither

is

his wife

Subject

To be+not Adj/n/adv

and

Subject

to be

either

I

am
not
were
not
is not

a lecturer

and

she

isn’t

either

upset

and

they

weren’t

either

here

and

his wife

isn’t

either

We
Usman

2. Auxiliary as the verb

Subject
Aisyah
We
Imam

Aux+
not
will
not
have
not
must
not

verb

and

neither

to be

Subject

cook

and

neither

will

her husband

eaten

and

neither

have

they

work

and

neither

must

his friends

Subject

aux+not

verb

and

Subject

aux+not

either

She

hasn’t

gone

and

her son

hasn’t

either

We

won’t

stay

and

they

won’t

either

Imam

must not

work

and

his friends

must
not

either

3. Negative sentences with don’t,
doesn’t and didn’t
Subject

verb

and neither

Do/does/did Subject

Aisyah

doesn’t cook
dinner
didn’t eat our
dinner
don’t work at
night

and neither

does

her husband

and neither

did

they

and neither

do

my classmates

We
I

Subject

verb

She

doesn’t cook
and
dinner
didn’t eat our
and
dinner
doesn’t work at and
night

We
Imam

and

Subject

either

her husband

Don’t/doesn’t/
didn’t
doesn’t

they

didn’t

either

his friends

don’t

either

either

4. Any in negative sentences
Subject

verb

Aisyah

doesn’t have

any Complement
(noun)
any money

We

don’t have

any food

I

don’t have

any question

In afrmative sentences, “some” is used to replace “any”
Subject

verb

no

She

has

no

Complement
(noun)
money

We

do

no

thing (nothing)

Imam

goes

no

where (nowhere)

D. COMMAND SENTENCES

• A command is a sentence that is used to give an
order to someone else.
• The ending of a command can be either full stop or
exclamation mark.
• A command can be preceded by “please”

1. Positive Commands
Examples:
1. Please, leave me alone!
2. Leave me alone, please.
3. Please, help yourself.
4. Help yourself, please
5. Write down your answer in separate piece of paper!
2. Negative Commands
Examples:
1. Please, don’t leave me alone!
2. Don’t leave me alone, please.
3. Please, don’t disturb the prayers by switching of your
mobile when you are in the mosque.
4. Don’t start the argument here, please.
5. Please, don’t ask me the answers for those question, please!

3. Indirect Commands
Examples:
1. The technician ask the students to switch of the electricity
before leaving the lab
2. My mother orders my sister to wake up earlier than usual
3. The Mayor reminded the residence to save the energy.
4. The teacher told the pupils to write down an article!
4. Negative Indirect Commands
Examples:
1. The technician ask the students not to switch of the
electricity before leaving the lab
2. My mother orders my sister not to wake up earlier than
usual
3. The Mayor reminded the residence not to waste the energy.
4. The teacher told the pupils not to consume drug!