How to Structure a Sentence
When we are having a conversation with another person we convey our message using not only words, but also gestures, facial expressions and body language. When reading a message in a written sentence we do not of course have those useful aids to meaning available to us; the sentence therefore has to make complete sense, be grammatically correct and unambiguous. A sentence must always begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop or an equivalent punctuation mark. Sentences can be questions, an instruction or a straightforward statement.
In written English, a sentence is structured in a set way, the subject always comes first, then the finite verb (a verb (action) that always has a subject) and finally the object. This is why English is classed as an SVO language. ‘SVO’ stands for Subject, Verb and Object.
When constructing a sentence the subject must come first. If for example we write about a cat cleaning its paw, then the cat is obviously the subject, the verb is the cleaning (action) and the paw is the object.
It can be difficult to know when you are splitting an infinitive (explained later) or using the wrong tense in a sentence. A very efficient way of checking whether or not you have got it right is to use an online grammar checker. This will help you to structure your sentences appropriately when you are producing your written work.
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