The correct construction of sentences in English is impossible without knowledge of the basic laws of the formation of their structure. So, in Russian, to describe a situation, it is enough to take the words involved in it (names of concepts, objects, etc.) and connect them together with the help of endings formed by declension in cases and numbers. However, the English language is devoid of such endings, and therefore a correct description of the situation can be achieved only if the words are arranged in a certain way.
Simple sentences and their classification
Simple English sentences are divided into two types - non-widespread and widespread. The former consists only of the subject and the predicate. It is important that the subject is in first place, and the predicate is in second. For example: “The bus stopped”.
The second type of simple sentences, in addition to the main members, involves the entry of secondary ones (addition, definition, circumstance). Building sentences in English using secondary members allows you to clarify the main situation. For example: “The yellow bus stopped at the station”. In this case, the first minor term of the sentence (yellow) acts as a definition and explains the subject (the bus), and the second - by the circumstance of the place (at the station) and refers to the predicate (stopped).
Narrative Suggestions: Design Pattern
As mentioned above, the endings in English words remain unchanged, so each word should be in the strictly prescribed place for it (this is called the direct word order). Otherwise, the essence of the proposal will be distorted, and the person who reads it will receive incorrect, sometimes even opposite, information. And if in Russian we can say: “I went to the cinema yesterday”, “I went to the cinema yesterday” or “Yesterday I went to the cinema”, then the existing sentence schemes in English do not allow this.
Whereas in Russian the essence of the situation will be understood, even if the words are reversed, in English everything is different. For example, regardless of whether we say in Russian “Jack hit Jim” or “Jim hit Jack”, the information will be received correctly. But in English, two sentences such as “Jack hit Jim” and “Jim hit Jack” have the opposite meaning. The first translates as "Jack hit Jim," and the second - "Jim hit Jack." To avoid such misunderstandings, it is necessary to construct sentences in English according to the following scheme: put the subject in the first place, the predicate in the second, the addition in the third, and the circumstance in the fourth. For example: "We do our work with pleasure." It is also acceptable to place the circumstances of the place and time in front of the subject, for example: “At the moment I am cooking dinner”.
Negative suggestions with not
Negative sentences in English have the following structure:
- Subject.
- The beginning of the predicate.
- Negative particle not.
- The ending of the predicate.
- The nominal part of the predicate.
Examples of the following negative sentences in English are: “I'm not reading the book” or “I have not seen Kelly in a while” (“I have not seen Kelly for a while = I I haven’t seen Kelly for a long time ”).
If in negative sentences verbs in Present Simple or Past Simple are used, they are reduced to the form “do / does / did + main form”. For example, “I do not like mouses”, “She does not need help” or “Steven did not look tired” (“Steven did not look tired”).
Negative sentences with negative words
It is possible to make sentences in English of a negative type not only using the not particle, but in another way. It is about building a construction with the content of negative words, which include the following: nobody (nobody), never (never), nothing (nothing), none (no), nowhere (nowhere).
For example: "Nobody wanted to bring chair" ("Nobody wanted to bring a chair"). It is worth noting that in English one sentence cannot contain both the not particle and the negative word. So, the phrase “I know nothing” is translated into English as “I know nothing” and in no way “I do not know nothing”.
Interrogative sentences
Interrogative sentences can be presented in the form of general and special questions. So, general questions suggest a yes / no answer. For example: “Did you like the book?” (“Did you like the book?”) Or “Have you ever been in the Paris?” ("Have you ever been to Paris?"). As for special questions, it may be necessary to make sentences in English of this type when it is necessary to obtain more specific information on a given question - color, time, name, subject, distance, etc. For example: “What is your favorite movie?” (“What is your favorite movie?”) Or “How long is the flight to Prague?” ("How much to fly to Prague?").
In the case of the expression of the predicate by the verb to have or to be, the general questions are constructed as follows: first the predicate, and then the subject. In the case where the predicate includes a modal or auxiliary verb, it is he who is put before the subject. When expressing a predicate with a verb in Present or Past Simple, you must use do / does or did.
As for the word order in constructing a special question, it is the same as in general, except that at the beginning of the sentence there should be a question word: who (who), when (when), what (what), how long ( how long), where (where), how (how).
Imperative offers
Considering the types of sentences in English, one cannot fail to mention imperative sentences. They are necessary to express a request, an incitement to an action, an order, as well as a ban when it comes to the negative form.
The imperative sentence presupposes a direct word order, but first the verb is put: “Give me my pen, please” (“Give me my pen, please”). In some cases, this construction may consist of only one verb: “Run!” (Run!). Wanting to soften the order or turn it into a request, the speaker could use you, will you or won't you, placing them at the end of the sentence.
Exclamation points
The construction of sentences in the English language of the exclamation type is carried out in the same way as the usual one, but they should be pronounced emotionally, and the exclamation mark is always put on the letter at the end of such a construction . For example, “You are very beautiful!” (“You are very beautiful!”) Or “I'm so happy!” ("I'm so happy!").
In the case where the exclamation point requires additional reinforcement, you can use the question words what and how. For example, “What a big house it is!” (“What a big house!”), “What a sad movie!” (“What a sad movie!”) Or “How well Matt can dance!” ("How good Matt is dancing!"). It is worth paying attention that in the case of using the subject in the singular, the indefinite article a or an is necessary.
Complicated sentences: definition and classification
In addition to simple sentences, there are also complex ones that are formed by combining the former. Complicated and complex subdivisions are types of sentences in the English language that have a complex structure. The difference between the two is that the former are a construction consisting of two independent simple sentences, and the latter are the main and one or more dependent (subordinate clauses).
Complicated sentences are built with the help of such creative unions as and (and), or (or), but (but), for (since), yet (nonetheless). As for the unions that are used to form complex sentences, they are divided into the following groups:
- causes / effects: since (because), because (because), therefore (therefore, therefore), so (therefore, so);
- time: before (before, before), while (while, while), after (after), when (when);
- others: although (although), if (if, if), though (though), unless (if only).
In all simple sentences that make up complex ones, a direct order must be maintained. There are a huge number of sentences in English, but regardless of their type, the basic rule of construction must be observed.
Types of conditional offers
Conditional sentences in English are used to describe a situation with various attributes. They can take various forms, but in most cases the following construction is used: “If Condition, (then) Statement” (If Condition, (then) Statement). For example, “If it is warm, many people prefer go to the park” (“If you buy this dress, I will give you free gloves” (“If you buy this dress, I will give you free gloves. ”)
Conditional sentences in English are divided into three types. The first is used to indicate real, feasible conditions relating to any of the times (future, present, past). To build such a construction, the verb in its future form is used in its main sentence, and in the subordinate clause in the present.
The second describes unrealistic conditions that relate to the future or the present. To create such a sentence, the main part uses the verb should or would and the verb in the basic form without the particle to, and in the subordinate, were for the verb to be or the Past Simple form for everyone else.
And the third covers unfulfilled conditions in the past. The main part of the sentence is built using the verb should / would and the verb in the present tense, and the subordinate verb in the form of Past Perfect.