In a sentence, there is a subject, that is, the person, place, or thing that the sentence is interested in, and action, that is, what the subject is doing. These two express a complete thought together. Even the shortest sentence in English fulfills this rule.
Examples:
- I visited.
- She reads.
After the subject and action, you can start adding more details. You can add an object to this, that is, the person or thing to which the action is applied.
Examples:
- I visited my friend.
- She reads a book.
Or you can add a description:
Examples:
- I visited my best friend.
- She reads a fiction book.
Sometimes you can add even more subjects and actions.
Examples:
- I visited my best friend and bought a gift for her.
- She reads a fiction book, but her sister reads short stories.
When you’re trying to understand a sentence, you can use the information above to break it down into smaller chunks. You can also use this knowledge to construct simple sentences. We have a fun quiz for you, let’s unscramble the sentences!
