The Five Basic Sentence Patterns in English
You might have not noticed this one, but English sentences may present themselves in varying
patterns. These patterns refer to the arrangements of the elements of a sentence. It starts from the
most basic, to the most complex. As mentioned, there are five basic sentence patterns in English.
Among them are:
1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S – LV – C)
2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S – IV )
3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S – TV – DO )
4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object ( S – TV – IO – DO )
5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement ( S – TV – DO – OC)
S – LV – C
The first basic sentence pattern in English we have the S–LV–C. This includes a subject, a linking
verb, and a complement. Linking verbs are the types of verbs that join the subject with an adjective or
another noun. Some commonly used linking verbs include be, am, are, is, was, were, and seem.
Apart from linking verbs, we can also use sense verbs to make this type of sentence pattern. A sense
verb is a verb that describes one of the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.
On the other hand, a subjective complement is a word or a group of words that often follow a
linking/sense verb. Subjective complements can either be nouns, pronouns, or adjectives.
Consider the order of the subject, linking/sense verb, and complements in the
following sentences:
1. She looks happy.
S: She
LV: looks
C: happy
2. Orange and Yellow are bright colors.
S: Orange and Yellow
LV: are
C: bright colors
3. The food tastes bad.
S: The food
LV: tastes
C: bad
S – IV
When learning the basic sentence patterns, the S–IV pattern is the simplest sentence type. It includes
just a subject and an intransitive verb. Grammatically, intransitive verbs do not need a direct object.
Unlike transitive verbs, verbs belonging to this type don’t answer the question “what?”. In most cases,
dynamic and locomotive verbs (or verbs that express movement) belong to this sentence pattern.
Also, this pattern uses verbs that are in the base form and doesn’t need supporting information. This
means that the thought of the sentence was already completed by the action of the verb.
Below are sample sentences with the S-IV sentence pattern.
1. She swims.
2. The book fell.
3. Peter marches.
4. Peter sneezed.
5. Evil exists.
S – TV – DO
This time let’s move on to the third basic sentence patterns in English we all are familiar with: the S–
TV–DO pattern. This pattern includes a subject, a transitive verb, and a direct object. Here, we use
transitive verbs, which means that we need a direct object. The trick here is to make sure our verb
answers the question “what?”
Moreover, this pattern uses a verb that is in the =s form, most especially the stative verbs. The S-TV-
DO pattern, unlike the S-IV pattern, needs supporting information, especially the object pointed
about in the sentence (noun).
See also PRONOUNS: Learning Basic English Grammar - What are they?
In the sample sentences we have below, the subject, transitive verb, and direct object
are placed in a fixed order.
1. They are baking cookies and cakes.
S: they
TV: are baking
DO: cookies and cakes
2. The batter hit the ball.
S: The batter
TV: hit
DO: the ball
3. She teaches English.
S: She
TV: teaches
DO: English
S – TV – IO – DO
Next in the list of basic sentence patterns is the S–TV–IO–DO sentence. This type includes a subject,
a transitive verb, an indirect object, and a direct object. If you have forgotten what indirect and direct
objects are, CLICK here for a refresher.
In the sentences below, you’ll notice that the subject, the transitive verb, the indirect
object, and the direct object are placed in the correct order.
1. Mary lent Josh money.
S: Mary
TV: lent
IO: Josh
DO: money
2. Ana taught her the answer.
S: Ana
TV: taught
IO: her
DO: the answer
3. He gave him the money.
S: He
TV: gave
IO: him
DO: the money
Interestingly, there are instances where the Direct Objects come first before Indirect Object in the
sentences. And although some grammarians insist on its correctness, some consider the pattern
acceptable in English. So, instead of S–TV–IO–DO, the pattern then becomes S–TV–DO-IO.
For example:
He gave him the money. (S–TV–IO-DO)
He gave the money to him. (S–TV–DO-IO)
S – TV – DO – OC
The last basic sentence pattern we have in English is the S–TV–DO–OC sentence type. This sentence
pattern includes a subject, transitive verb, direct object, and an objective complement. Unlike
subjective complements, objective complements describe a direct object.
The object complement in this sentence pattern refers to a specific description of the direct object
being done by the subject, with the use of the verb. Generally, the OC in this pattern could be a noun,
an adjective, or an adverb.
Check out the examples we have below.
1. She called the boy attractive.
S: She
TV: called
DO: the boy
OC: attractive
2. They painted the house blue.
S: They
TV: painted
DO: the house
OC: blue
Basic Sentence Patterns in English: Important
notes to learn
As you move forward in learning English grammar, understanding the basic sentence patterns in
English is essential. Although there are over 10 sentence patterns in English, the five basic sentence
patterns that we discussed are the most common. They are the following.
1. Subject + Linking Verb + Complement ( S – LV – C)
For example:
I am happy.
2. Subject + Intransitive Verb ( S – IV )
For example:
Horses run.
3. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object ( S – TV – DO )
For example:
Amy tutors Chris.
4. Subject + Transitive Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object ( S – TV – IO – DO )
For example:
The instructor assigned Steve poetry.
5. Subject + Transitive Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement ( S – TV – DO – OC)
For example:
Mary considered Ana her friend.
