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Sentence structure: basic word order

Subject – verb – object/complement​

The basic word order of English clauses in positive statements is Subject – Verb – (Complement/Object).

  • Anna smiled.
  • Sam is a doctor.
  • My parents live in North Wales.
  • The boss has bought another new car.

In a few affirmative structures the verb can come before the subject (e.g. So can I, In came Mrs Parker, (see here).

For sentences that begin with the object (e.g. Those people I can’t stand), (see here).

In informal language, especially speech, word order often departs from the basic pattern, (see here).

Preparatory it and there​

When the subject or object is an infinitive phrase or clause, we often put it at the end of a sentence, and use it as a preparatory subject or object ( (see here).

  • It’s difficult to understand what he wants.
  • She made it clear that she disagreed.

There can be a preparatory subject for an indefinite expression (see here).

  • There is a big spider in the bath.

Direct and indirect objects​

Indirect objects can come before direct objects (without a preposition) or after direct objects (with a preposition).

  • She sent the nurse some flowers.
  • She sent some flowers to the nurse.
note

For details, (see here).

Questions: auxiliary before subject​

Most written questions, and many spoken questions, have the order auxiliary verb – subject – main verb.

  • Have you seen Andrew?
  • Where was she going?
  • Did Emily phone?

Indirect questions (see here) have the subject before the verb.

  • Do you know where she was going?

Negatives: auxiliary + not​

Negative structures have not after an auxiliary verb.

  • The train did not stop. (not The train stopped not.)

For word order in negative questions (e.g. Why didn’t she come? / Why did she not come?), (see here).

Adverbials: possible positions​

Different adverbials can go in different places in a sentence: at the beginning, with the verb, or at the end. For details, (see here).

  • Suddenly I had a terrible thought.
  • The children had probably gone home.
  • I was playing badly.
  • I’ll see you at the club on Tuesday.

An adverbial cannot normally come between a verb and its object.

  • I like mushrooms very much. (not I like very much mushrooms.)

Subordinate clauses (who …, after … , if …, because …, that …, etc)​

Relative clauses usually follow the nouns that they modify (see here).

  • The woman who phoned wanted to speak to the manager.

Other kinds of clause have various positions, depending on their function and the overall sentence structure.

  • How you do it is your business.
  • Everybody agreed that they were wasting their time.

More than one position is often possible.

  • If you need help, call me.
  • Call me if you need help.

For details, Conjunctions, sentences and clauses, Relative clauses, if section, Other adverbial clauses, Noun clauses, direct and indirect speech.

Prepositions: in what … / what … in​

In an informal style, a preposition can be separated from its object in certain structures. For details, (see here). Compare:

  • In what hotel did the President stay? (formal)
  • What hotel did the President stay in? (informal)
note

For ways of arranging the information in a sentence, (see here).

For word order in exclamations (e.g. How kind you are!), (see here).

For word order with phrasal verbs (e.g. She put out the cat / She put the cat out), (see here).

For structures like the older I get …, (see here).

For structures like cold as/though she was, (see here).

For structures like so/how strange an experience, (see here).

For the position and order of adjectives, (see here).

For the position and order of determiners, Determiners: a/an and the; my, your, etc; this, that, etc, Determiners: quantifiers.

For quite a … and rather a …, (see here).

For word order with enough, (see here).