Sentence structure: Subject – Verb – Object (SVO)
Structuring sentences effectively is a key Verb
feature of successful academic writing. If a supported
sentence is easy to read, the meaning of your Object
writing – the point you are trying to make or the cause of poor people.
your argument – will be much clearer. In
addition, structuring sentences properly will ‘Strongly’ is an adverb, qualifying the verb
allow you to write more precisely. (‘supported’), while ‘in the nineteenth century’
is a prepositional phrase which is also
Structuring sentences effectively will give functioning as an adverb.
your writing greater clarity and precision.
Here’s another example:
Writing clearly and precisely is vital if you are
to get the highest marks for your work. It has been argued that social media forms
Academic work is in part assessed on its ability an essential element of an effective
to communicate ideas, information and marketing campaign (Smith, 2018).
interpretations in a lucid (i.e. clear) and mature
(i.e. confident) way. Subject
It
In this guide, we are going to look at a basic Verb
arrangement of words in a sentence: SVO. If has been argued
you have this word order in mind when writing,
it will help you to communicate your ideas The verb is followed by ‘that’. In sentences like
more easily. What follows will therefore be this one, ‘that’ acts as a conjunction,
particularly useful if you find academic writing introducing a subordinate clause (see our
more challenging. You might find it useful to guide, ‘Sentences, clauses and phrases’). This
use this guide with the related one on clause consists of everything that comes after
‘Sentences, clauses and phrases’. ‘that’.
What is SVO? This sort of sentence, where you are
SVO refers to one of the most commonly used introducing an idea through a subordinate
word orders in the English language: subject, clause, is quite common in academic writing. ‘It’
verb, object. Before looking at an example, let’s is often used as the subject – or you could be
consider what these elements mean: talking about ‘The research’ or ‘A recent study’
– while ‘argued’ is frequently chosen as the
Subject verb. Other popular verbs include ‘suggested’,
That which performs the action of the ‘proposed’ or ‘reasoned’.
sentence.
Verb Why use it to structure your
The action of the sentence. sentences?
Object The advantage of using SVO in academic
That which is acted upon by the subject. writing is that it will draw the attention of the
reader (i.e. your tutor) to the subject of the
For example, the following sentence has been sentence. This tends to make the meaning of
structured using SVO: the sentence clearer, in the same way that the
use of the active voice does (see our guide on
Edwin Chadwick strongly supported the ‘Using the active and passive voices’). This, in
cause of poor people in the nineteenth turn, will ensure that your writing is both clear
century. and precise.
Here, the elements of the sentence structure For more information about clauses and
are as follows: phrases, have a look at one of the writing
resources we recommend at
Subject http://study.cardiffmet.ac.uk.
Edwin Chadwick
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @CardiffMet_AST
© Academic Skills Specialists, Cardiff Metropolitan University
