Sentence Order at a glance
The student answered the question.
Read the rule, inspect the example, then check yourself.
Overview
English word order is relatively fixed. The basic order is subject + verb + object or complement.
The subject normally comes before the verb
Statements usually begin with the person or thing the sentence is about.
- The student answered the question.
- This rule is useful.
Main Rules
Sentence order changes most clearly in questions, negatives, and emphasis.
Statements use subject before verb
Keep subject and verb close unless you have a good reason to add extra information.
- She reads every evening.
Questions often use auxiliary before subject
Move the auxiliary before the subject in most questions.
- Does she read every evening?
Patterns
Use these patterns to build clear sentences.
Basic sentence patterns
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| subject + verb | The lesson started. |
| subject + verb + object | She wrote an answer. |
| subject + be + complement | The answer is correct. |
| subject + verb + object + adverbial | I study grammar every day. |
Examples
Adverbials can move, but subject and verb usually stay in order.
I often review old lessons.
Frequency adverbs often go before the main verb.
Yesterday, we studied articles.
Time adverbials can come at the beginning.
She explained the rule clearly.
Manner adverbs often come after the object.
Common Mistakes
Do not copy word order from another language when building English statements.
Very much I like this lesson.
I like this lesson very much.
In neutral English, the subject usually comes first.
She makes never this mistake.
She never makes this mistake.
Never usually goes before the main verb.