Subject, Verb, Complements, Modifier and Pronouns
Subjects
Almost all English sentences have subjects, but sentences that are orders (called imperatives) usually do not have any subjects. A subject usually comes before a verb, but it can also come after auxiliary verbs. In the following examples :
• We need you.
• The food was good.
Almost all English sentences have subjects, but sentences that are orders (called imperatives) usually do not have any subjects. A subject usually comes before a verb, but it can also come after auxiliary verbs. In the following examples :
• We need you.
• The food was good.
Verb
A verb is a kind of word (see part of speech) that usually tells about an action or a state and is the main part of a sentence. Every sentence has a verb. In English, verbs are the only kind of word that changes to show past or present tense.
Every language in the world has verbs, but they are not always used in the same ways. They also can have different properties in different languages. For example, in some other languages (e.g., Chinese & Indonesian) verbs do not change for past and present tense. This means the definition above only works well for English verbs.
There are sixteen verbs used in Basic English. They are: be, do, have, come, go, see, seem, give, take, keep, make, put, send, say, let, get.
Kinds of Verbs
English has two main kinds of verbs: normal verbs (called lexical verbs) and auxiliary verbs. The difference between them is mainly in where they can go in a sentence. Some verbs are in both groups, but there are very few auxiliary verbs in English. There are also two kinds of auxiliary verbs: modal verbs and non-modal verbs. The table below shows most of the English auxiliaries and a small number of other verbs.
A verb is a kind of word (see part of speech) that usually tells about an action or a state and is the main part of a sentence. Every sentence has a verb. In English, verbs are the only kind of word that changes to show past or present tense.
Every language in the world has verbs, but they are not always used in the same ways. They also can have different properties in different languages. For example, in some other languages (e.g., Chinese & Indonesian) verbs do not change for past and present tense. This means the definition above only works well for English verbs.
There are sixteen verbs used in Basic English. They are: be, do, have, come, go, see, seem, give, take, keep, make, put, send, say, let, get.
Kinds of Verbs
English has two main kinds of verbs: normal verbs (called lexical verbs) and auxiliary verbs. The difference between them is mainly in where they can go in a sentence. Some verbs are in both groups, but there are very few auxiliary verbs in English. There are also two kinds of auxiliary verbs: modal verbs and non-modal verbs. The table below shows most of the English auxiliaries and a small number of other verbs.
Auxiliary verbs also inflect for negation. Usually this is
done by adding n't.
• You shouldn't be here.
• He isn't at home.
• We haven't started yet.
• You shouldn't be here.
• He isn't at home.
• We haven't started yet.
Complements
Some verbs can or must be followed by a complement. These verbs are called linking verbs or copula. In the following examples, the complement is underlined and the verb is in bold.
• He is good.
• He is a boy.
• She became sick.
• She became a manager.
• It looks nice.
Modifiers
Verbs can be modified by various modifiers, mainly adverbs. Note that verbs generally do not need modifiers; it's usually a choice. In the following examples, the adverb is underlined and the verb is in bold.
• The boy ran quickly.
• The freely swinging rope hit him.
Some verbs can or must be followed by a complement. These verbs are called linking verbs or copula. In the following examples, the complement is underlined and the verb is in bold.
• He is good.
• He is a boy.
• She became sick.
• She became a manager.
• It looks nice.
Modifiers
Verbs can be modified by various modifiers, mainly adverbs. Note that verbs generally do not need modifiers; it's usually a choice. In the following examples, the adverb is underlined and the verb is in bold.
• The boy ran quickly.
• The freely swinging rope hit him.
Pronouns
Pronouns are used in place of
a noun that has already been
mentioned or that is already known, often to avoid repeating the noun. For
example:
Kate was tired so she went to bed.
Michael took the children
with him.
Kieran’s face was close to mine.
That is a good idea.
Anything might happen.
Personal
pronouns are used in place of nouns referring to specific people or things, for
example I,me, mine, you, yours, his, her, hers, we, they,
or them. They can be divided into various different categories
according to their role in a sentence, as follows:
The
personal pronouns I, you, we, he, she, it,
we, and they are known as subjective pronouns because they
act as the subjects of verbs:
She saw Catherine.
We drove Nick home.
I waved at her.
Objective pronouns
The personal
pronouns me, you, us, him, her, it, and them are
called objective pronouns because they act as the objects of verbs and
prepositions:
Catherine saw her.
Nick drove us home.
She waved at me.
Possessive pronouns
The personal
pronouns mine, yours, hers, his, ours, and theirs are
known as possessive pronouns: they refer to something owned by the speaker or
by someone or something previously mentioned. For example:
That book is mine.
John’s eyes met hers.
Ours is
a family farm.
Reflexive
personal pronouns include myself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. These are used to refer back to the
subject of the clause in which they are used:
I fell
and hurt myself.
Daisy prepared herself for the journey.
The children had
to look after themselves.
