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Sentence Patterns is a way of categorizing sentences in Standard English.
The basic building block of a sentence in standard English, as illustrated by the article on Sentence Parts is
“Subject + Predicate.”
The subject is the actor in the sentence. It is whatever is doing what the verb describes. The predicate includes the rest of the sentence—the verb or the action in the sentence—and anything else that the verb is affecting.
Writers, speakers, knowledge workers . . . use a variety of sentence patterns in their texts, choosing the pattern that best expresses their thoughts. An important attribute of a professional writing style is the ability of the writer to choose patterns that help readers see connections between ideas.
Most simple English sentences conform to these five (5) patterns:
- S-LV-SC
- S-TV-DO
- S-TV-IO-DO
- S-TV-DO-OC
- S-ITV
Related Concepts: Sentence Types; Sentence Structure
1. Subject – Linking Verb – Subject Complement (S LV SC)
2. Subject – Transitive Verb (S TV DO)
3. Subject – Transitive Verb – Indirect Object – Direct Object (S TV IO DO)
4. Subject – Transitive Verb – Direct Object – Object Complement (S TV DO OC)
5. Subject – Intransitive Verb (S ITV)
