When translating sentences from Russian into English, problems often arise. Most often this is due to the difference between these languages, which is clearly manifested in the order of words in a sentence.
Word order in an English sentence
The word order in an English sentence is not quite the same as in Russian.
In Russian, the word order is not fixed, plus you can it is easy to omit the subject or verb(that is, the one who performs the action or who is being talked about, and the action itself). So, in the sentence “I am a student” there is no verb (predicate) at all, and in the sentence “Sunny” there is neither a verb nor a noun.
In English, on the contrary, there must always be both subject and predicate.
How to write a sentence in English
Let's translate the sentence "I am a teacher" into English literally: we get "I teacher". But we know that an English sentence must have a subject and a predicate. "I" - this is the subject, the one in question, everything is fine here, and the verb (predicate) in this sentence is just not enough. Then we get "I am a teacher", where am is just the verb we need. That is, if you translate this sentence verbatim into Russian, you get "I be a teacher" or "I am a teacher".
"You are a teacher" translate as "You are a teacher", which literally means "You are a teacher". Here the word are acts as a verb.
Forms of the verb to be
In fact, “am” and “are” are forms of the same verb: “to be” bi (which translates as “ to be”), but in the present tense the forms of this verb are not at all like it.
Verb conjugation table to be
Let's look at the table, imagine everything in a two-column system. With "I" to be turns into "am" ([əm] em). With " he / she / it" - in" is"([ɪz] from), and for" we/you/they"The form" are"([ɑː] a) is used. In this way,
I am a student. I am a student.
Are you student. You are a student.
He is a student. He is a student.
She's a student. She is a student.
We are students. We are students.
You are students. You are students.
They are students. They are students.
It is easy to remember these forms, because there are only three of them: with I - am, with he / she / it - is, for everything else - are. And don't forget this not different verbs, these are forms of the same verb to be.
Making a sentence with nouns
With pronouns, the forms of the verb to be are remembered for simplicity, but there may be other words in their place. For example, "Mike is a student" translate as “Mike is a student”, because Mike is he (he), and with he we use the form is. By the same logic, we translate "This boy is a student" like "This boy is a student". Another example: “Children at home” will be translated as “Children are at home”, because children (children) are they (they), and with they we use the form are. "Mike and Monica are students" translate as "Mike and Monika are students", because Mike and Monica together are also “they”.
Knowing this, you can easily compose simple sentences in English. The main thing to remember is that if there is no verb in Russian, it should still be in English, and, most likely, it will be a verb to be.
Make a sentence out of words
We came up with interactive exercises for making sentences from the words try
Exercise to consolidate the material (interrogative sentences)
You need to make sentences from English words. Then you will know its translation. Words are dragged with mouse or finger (on smartphones)
New York is a great city
New York is a great city!
The students in my class are really friendly
The students in my class are really friendly.
I am with my friend Pedro in this photo
In this photo I am with my friend Pedro.
He is a teacher at a language school
In order not to miss new useful materials,
The construction of sentences in English is a painful topic for many, but this material must be well understood, since the sentence is the basis of written and spoken language.
I will immediately make a reservation that in this article we are considering rules for constructing a standard sentence in English. We will not pay attention to elliptical constructions, exclamations, complex inversions and other types of sentences that differ in their form from the standard one. If you know the "skeleton" of an English sentence, you can easily build any phrase.
- Read about non-standard offers in the article "".
What is an English sentence
Each sentence expresses a complete thought. To make the thought look logical and understandable, it is necessary to use certain members of the sentence. Every English sentence has two obligatory elements: the subject is the main character of the sentence (answers the question “who?”, “What?”), the predicate is what the subject does (answers the question “what to do?”).
Subject can be expressed as (I, you, them, everyone, etc.) or (mom, cat, work, apple, etc.). It usually comes first in a sentence. Predicate is expressed (go, write, think, fall, etc.) and follows the subject, that is, it is in second place in the sentence.
- (Who?) They (what did?) thought. - They thought.
- (Who?) The cat (what is he doing?) is coming. - The cat is going.
- (What?) The apple (what will it do?) will fall. - The apple will fall.
Predicate is the most important part of the sentence. Only the predicate can show what is happening, happened or will happen. An English predicate can consist of two elements: the main verb - the "main" verb, which shows what the subject does, and - the verb, which helps to distinguish tenses.
The subject and predicate are the main parts of the sentence. As mentioned above, without them the correct construction of sentences in English is impossible. In addition, there are also secondary members, these include:
- Addition- stands after the predicate and answers any case question, except for questions of the nominative case. Addition is direct and indirect. The direct answers the questions of the accusative case: “whom?”, “What?”; indirect - to all other case questions: “who?”, “what?”, “to whom?”, “what?” etc. As a rule, in a sentence, a direct object comes first, then an indirect one.
I see a girl with him. - I see (who?) girl(with whom?) with him.
She is reading a book to the children. She is reading (what?) book(to whom?) children.
- Definition- stands next to the subject or object and describes its properties, that is, answers the question “which?”, “Whose?”.
I see a beautiful girl with him. - I see (what?) beautiful girl with him.
my red cat lies on the window. - (Whose?) My(which?) ginger the cat lies on the window.
- Circumstance- can be at the beginning or at the end of the sentence, says “where?”, “When?”, “How?”, “Why?” some action has taken place.
My red cat lies on the window. - My red cat lies (where?) on the window.
Yesterday I saw her with him. - (When?) Yesterday I saw her with him.
He behaved differently. - He behaved (how?) differently.
Rules for constructing sentences in English
There are two main word orders in English: direct and reverse. Direct is used in affirmative and negative sentences, reverse - in questions.
The English sentence differs from the Russian one in word order. In Russian it is free:
- Mom washed the frame.
- Mom washed the frame.
- Mom washed the frame.
As you can see, from the change in the places of the terms - mothers and frames - the meaning of the sentence has not changed. And in English, all three sentences will be translated as follows:
- mother was washing the frame.
This is because English sentences have a fixed word order. English words cannot "jump" from place to place, as Russians do. The English language is strict and conservative, like the English themselves, it does not like change. Therefore, each type of proposal has its own unbreakable patterns.
Word order in affirmation and negation in English
The direct word order in an English sentence is as follows: the subject comes first, the predicate comes second, and the object comes third. In some cases, circumstance may come first. In an English sentence, the main verb may have an auxiliary verb. But, as you already know, the auxiliary verb is part of the predicate, so even with it the word order remains direct.
| Word order in an affirmative sentence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circumstance | Predicate | Addition (possibly with a definition) |
Circumstance | |
| Yesterday | I | learned | English words.
English words. |
-- |
| -- | My little sister
My little sister |
will visit
will visit |
me | three days.
after three days. |
Word order in a negative English sentence is also direct. To show negation, we use the particle not, which corresponds to the Russian particle "not". Also, in a negative sentence there is always an auxiliary verb, because it is adjacent to it not, adjoin the main verb not can not.
| Word order in a negative sentence | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circumstance | Subject (possibly with definition) | Auxiliary verb + not | Main verb | Complement (possibly with a definition) | Circumstance |
| Yesterday | I | did not | learn | English words.
English words. |
-- |
| -- | My little sister
My little sister |
will not | visit
will visit |
me | three days.
after three days. |
Word order in a question in English
In a Russian question and statement, the word order can be the same. Only by the intonation of the speaker do we understand that we have been asked a question. In English, a statement and a question look different:
- They live in the city. - They live in the city.
- Do they live in the city? - Do they live in the city?
The English interrogative sentence has a reverse word order. This means that the subject and verb are reversed. But the English language does not like to go far from the direct order, so only part of the predicate, the auxiliary verb, is put in the first place, and the main verb still comes after the subject. Another feature is that in the question the circumstance is not put in the first place.
| Word order in an interrogative sentence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auxiliary | Subject (possibly with definition) | Main verb | Addition (possibly with a definition) |
Circumstance |
| Did | I | learn | English words?
English words? |
-- |
| Will | my little sister
My little sister |
visit
will visit |
me | three days?
after three days? |
Short Answers
In oral speech, as a rule, we answer the question briefly. For example, to the question "Do they work in the office?" we will answer “Yes” or “No” rather than repeating the whole phrase: “Yes, they work in the office / No, they do not work in the office.” We manage with a short answer, and such an answer is understandable to the interlocutor.
The English also use short answers. But in English you can't just say Yes/no, such an answer will seem rude and unfriendly. An English short answer must also contain a subject and an auxiliary verb. The subject and auxiliary verb remain those that were in the question, for example:
If the question contains a pronoun you(you, you), so the question is addressed to you. Therefore, you need to answer it on your own behalf, and not on behalf of you:
And now we offer to watch the video from the teacher Minoo. It will tell you about the word order in an English sentence. And at the end of the article, you will find a table with all the proposal schemes that you can download, and a test.
(*.pdf, 200 Kb)
Test
Word order in English: rules for constructing sentences
And now we will look at examples of the basics of making simple sentences to express the past, present and future tenses.
Building sentences in the Simple group
affirmative sentences
Let's start with Present Simple. All affirmative sentences are built according to the following scheme:
- "I" in this example is the subject. Do not confuse it with the object, since the subject performs the action, and it is performed on the object. Moreover, in Russian, the order of words is not important to us, because it is already clear who performs the action. We can freely say: "I eat the cake." But in English, it’s not possible to build a sentence like this, because the one who performs the action must be in the first place, otherwise they will simply laugh at you when you say: “The cake eats me.” Even through the passive voice, such a phrase will sound very strange.
- In second place should be the predicate, which expresses the action itself. In Russian, there are often sentences with an incomplete grammatical basis, where there is no subject or predicate, or both are absent. In the latter case, we are dealing with an impersonal sentence: "Dark." In English, there must always be a subject and a verb. So, if there is no verb in the Russian sentence, then in English it will definitely appear. Take for example a one-part sentence in which there is no predicate: "The phone is on the table." To translate it correctly, we need to use the verb "to be", which will connect the subject with the predicate. As a result, the phrase will literally be translated as: "The phone is on the table."
- In third place, the secondary members of the sentence lined up according to a certain rule: first there is a direct object (answers the question “who?”, “What?”, “Who?”), then indirect (answers the same questions, but with the prepositions “with whom ?”, “to whom?”, etc.). This rule is not always observed and is not strict.
As in Russian, English verbs change depending on the person. The main changes occur in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), where the suffix "s" or "es" is added to the predicate. As a result, we get the sentence: "He goes to school."
Negative sentences
In addition to the affirmation, there is also a negation, the scheme of which is as follows:
In this scheme, all the same components are found, except for the linking verb "do" and the particle "not", which is equivalent to the negative particle "not" in Russian. What is an auxiliary verb and why is it needed? Unlike Russian, where we simply put the “not” particle before the verb, in English, the “not” particle must be preceded by an auxiliary verb. It is different for each tense, and in the case of Present Simple, it will take the form of either “do” or “does”, depending on the number and person of the subject. Example: "She does not go to school".
Interrogative sentences
So, we have considered the affirmation, negation, and we are left with a question, the formation of which also requires an auxiliary verb:
So, we have analyzed with you the basic principles for constructing various types of sentences in Present Simple. Past Simple and Future Simple are built in a similar way, the main differences will be in the form of the auxiliary verb.
Building sentences in the Future Simple
Statement
The scheme for constructing a statement in the simple future tense (Future Simple) is as follows:
The auxiliary verb will indicates that the action takes place in the future tense, and the phrase would be translated as: "I will go to school."
Negation
Negation is built using the particle "not" already known to us and the auxiliary verb "will".
Question
Any question begins with an auxiliary verb, so when building a question, simply put will in first place.
past simple
Statement
When constructing a statement in the past tense of the Simple group, there is a small feature: the suffix "ed" is added to the verb.
I deliberately omitted the school example because it uses an irregular verb. Most verbs form the simple past tense by adding the suffix "ed" to the stem (cook - cooked), but there are about 470 verbs, according to the Oxford dictionary, that form the past tense according to their canons. Our verb “go” also falls into their number, which will change the form to “went”: “I went to school”.
Negation
The negative in the simple past tense is constructed similarly to the Present Simple, with the only difference being that the form of the auxiliary verb "do" acquires the past "did".
Question
The question is also built by analogy with Present Simple. We only change the form of the auxiliary verb to the past.
So we studied the construction of sentences in the entire Simple group. The main thing is to remember the schemes for all three types (statement, denial and question), do not forget about how the word forms of verbs in the 3rd person singular change and memorize the main irregular verbs in order to achieve automatism in speech.
Building sentences in the Continuous group
In the Continuous group, there is always an auxiliary verb “to be”, a change in the form of which will tell us when the action is happening: yesterday, now or tomorrow. In this group, there is also always a participle I, similar to the real participle in Russian. The participle itself is built by adding the suffix "ing" to the verb (go - going).
Statement
We will not deviate from the structure and consider the formation of time in the Present Continuous.
The forms of the verb "to be" video change depending on the person, and here the matter is not limited to changes only in the 3rd person singular. Forms are easy to remember.
In the past tense, the auxiliary verb changes its form to "was" or were "depending on the person and number.
The scheme for constructing a sentence in the Past Continuous will be as follows:
The future tense in this group is formed without any changes, just put the future tense verb “will” before the auxiliary “to be”:
Denial and question
The construction of the negation and the question occurs according to the general scheme for constructing sentences: when negating, we put “not” after the auxiliary verb, and when we ask, we put the auxiliary verb in the first place.
To build the past form, you need to change the form of the auxiliary verb to "had".
To build the future form, we additionally put “will”.
Denial and question
Negation and the question are built in the classical way: the particle not after had (when negating), had in the first place (when asked).
Denial and question
| Negation | Question |
|---|---|
| I have not been going. | Have I been going to school? |
These sentences are given only for the sake of an example, in practice you will hardly find yourself in a situation where you will need to express yourself in Perfect Continuous. It will be much easier and faster to build a phrase from the Simple and Continuous groups.
Simplified table of formation of all types of sentences in all tenses
For those who are new to tenses, this article may seem a little chaotic, so as a result, I offer you a ready-made table with the formation of sentences in all tenses, so that it is easier for you to see the whole picture. You can use it as a cheat sheet in the initial stages of studying temporary structures. The table is taken from the Peekaboo resource.
English grammar system. Where to start. How to build sentences. How grammar works in practice.
I have been looking for a clear and understandable explanation of spoken English grammar for a long time. And finally, I found it! This is a video lesson by Nadezhda Schastlivaya, which is completely devoted to the topic of constructing sentences in English. This is by far the best and most comprehensive guide I've found so far. The whole system of tenses and types of sentences in one lesson. All on the shelves! My understanding of the English language has completely changed. It became more understandable and logical for me. Thanks, Hope!
Theme and objectives of the lesson
Today we have a fairly large topic.
Today I want to talk about conversational grammar and English grammar in general. Just the sight of an English grammar book can terrify. After all, to master all this, you have to do a colossal amount of work. But does it need to be done?
Honestly, I had to relearn and simplify everything in order to start communicating with people normally. Grammar textbooks give a lot of confusing information that prevents us from talking calmly. We start thinking too much!
Now I will try to systematize the main large blocks that you will really need in speaking practice. This information is not for those who need to delve into the rules and take all sorts of tricky tests. This is for those who need to communicate.
Remember! Whatever thought you have, the English language has a certain pattern for expressing this thought. This is the beauty of English. There is a logical explanation for almost all cases: there are patterns, structures, stable speech formulas. And it's cool!
There are large blocks in English conversational grammar, very systemic and logical, which have a clear structure. I want you to at least in general, from a bird's eye view, look at them and see how cool it is. Then, if you want to go deeper, it will be a completely different level of work. This will be the analysis of information and application in practice.
Today I just want to introduce you. Therefore, do not be offended by me if it seems to you that the explanation is not deep enough and there are not enough examples. Today I have no task to explain something in depth. I want to show you what it is, what it looks like, how simple it really is. And then you can already join us and work on some topics in more detail.
English is very different from Russian. Two main problems arise from this:
- Many do not understand this difference, and begin to translate Russian sentences with tracing paper, that is, literally. As a result, syntactic constructions are absolutely incorrect from the point of view of English grammar.
- People who are just starting to learn the language open the text in English and fall into a stupor. Too many verbs that also go in a row! It seems that the words are all familiar, but the meaning of the sentence cannot be understood.
Therefore, my task is to show you what the language consists of, and to collect all its elements into a logical system.
Perfect English sentence
The English sentence (➕ - “plus”, affirmative) in general, in its ideal format, looks like this:
First comes subject(performer), then predicate, and further - all the rest.
Predicate, as a rule, ideally consists of two verbs. One of them is, as it were, auxiliary (assistant), the other is ordinary, carrying the meaning of the action. Each of these two verbs can take different forms. Later we will see this clearly.
This is what an ideal English sentence looks like.
I am talking to you. – I am speaking with you.
I am the speaker. Why is that? After all, in Russian everything is fine - I speak. Just a subject and a verb, and there are no auxiliaries. Actually predicate am talking are just two verbs. But these are completely different forms of the verb! [This has historically been the case in the English language. We will explore this in more detail later.]
🇬🇧 By the way, pay attention to how we can change the word order in Russian.
🇬🇧 The English language does not allow such liberties. But it is more simple and logical.
English verb forms
The smallest and at the same time the key unit of the English language is, of course, verb. Verbs answer questions what to do? what to do? what do i do? what have you been doing? and so on. These are all verbs. Now we will see what happens to them in English, in contrast to Russian. So let's go! 🚀 First, let's look at five different forms of the verb.
Imagine that you bought a ceramic tile, consisting of five types of elements. From this tile you can make various patterns. It's the same with English verbs. There are only 5 forms of the verb. There are no others and cannot be!
We will now briefly analyze all 5 forms. You must see and understand this, because without this no further work can be built. Any sentence can be built if you understand the forms of the verb.
Table of all five forms of the verb. This also includes participles and participles.
0⃣ Zero form of the verb
Zero form answers the question what to do? Be, run, swim, learn. In English, such verbs are preceded by a particle to, and in Russian such verbs (indefinite form) end in -t (sya).
to text – print (type a message)
1⃣ First form of the verb
The first form is already personal. This means that in the sentence it comes after the performer. There is a performer (predicate), and he does something (predicate). The first form of the verb corresponds to the present simple tense (Present Simple). We'll talk more about this below. To get the first form of the verb, we simply take the zero form and discard the particle -to. If the verb is third person (he, she, it), then the ending is usually added -(e)s. But in general, this form is also very simple. It corresponds to Russian verbs ending in -yu (-y), -em (-em), -et (-et).
I text – I type (regularly)
He text's – he prints (regularly)
2⃣ The second form of the verb
The second form is responsible for the simple past tense (Past Simple). This form is obtained by adding to the usual, neutral verb (first form) the ending -ed. Did, did, did and so on. It seems to be nothing special, right?
I texted – I was typing (typing) [yesterday, 5 minutes ago]
Attention! Next come the 3rd and 4th forms of the verb. Many cannot understand what it is. And that's okay. Because in Russian this is not a typical verb, but participle! So remember that the next two forms are participles. They don't answer questions. what to do? what do i do? what have you been doing? They answer the question which? In fact, they can work as a definition.
3⃣ The third form of the verb
The third form is formed in the same way as the second - the ending -ed. But this is no longer a verb in the past tense, but a participle. Which? printed ny, printed former, smash ty . Do you feel the emphasis on perfection on “doneness” here? In Russian it is called passive participles, but here we just keep in mind such a tick ✅. She tells us that we are talking about what has already happened, happened.
texted – printed, printed
4⃣ The fourth form of the verb
The fourth form is very simple. Formed by adding an ending -ing to the neutral form (zero form without particle to):
texting – printing, printing, printing
The guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
The guests sat at the table, discussing life.
sitting – sitting, sitting, sitting (process)
discussing – debating, debating, discussion
The fourth form of the verb, as well as the third, we designated in the table as a participle. What is the difference between these two sacraments?
The third form is the active voice (Active)
The fourth form is the passive voice (Passive)
The fourth form of the verb has a feature. She can answer more than just a question. which?, but also to the question what?
How is it, you ask? In Russian, the analogue of this form are verbal nouns: swimming, painting, singing. In English, the same thing, but formed with the help of the ending -ing.
Another 4th form can work as a gerund. What doing?
So, we dismantled the foundation. ALL English is built on these 5 forms of the verb. Next we will talk about the “body” of our “house”.
Sentence schemes - ready-made speech templates
Let's move on to ready-made sentence patterns so that you can connect your ideas with specific speech patterns and calmly express your thoughts without thinking too long each time.
If we imagine English as a house, then the 5 forms of the verb that we have analyzed are the foundation. Everything is built on it. We saw it. Next, let's talk about the "body" of our house.
I want to warn you that I will give only a holistic structure. Now we will not dwell on each point in detail. Your job is to see the big picture. Then come back, watch the video and be sure make your examples! It will be just a huge help to your English.
We have already said that there is a certain ideal version of the English sentence. And now we will analyze all the variants of sentences that exist in the English language.
Commands, calls, requests (imperative mood)
The sentence structure looks incredibly simple. It doesn't get easier. It consists of one verb in zero form. And that's it! Sometimes prepositions are added: up, on, out etc.
In sentences of this type no artist, no times and accents. Just a command: Do it! Don't! Let's do! Let's not do it!
Watch out! – Carefully!
look out! – Watch out!Don't do it! – Do not do that!
Don't look at me! – Do not look at me!
Don't talk to me like that! – Don't talk to me like that!Let's do it. – Let's do it.
Let's not do it – Let's not do this.
If you want to make it polite, you can add at the beginning and at the end of the sentence please:
Pass me the salt, please. – Pass me the salt, please.
Please pass me the salt. – Please pass me the salt.
There is an opinion that the location of the word please affects the “degree of politeness” of your request:
They mean the same, but the second one is more commonly used as the “please” coming first in the sentence is considered more polite. Starting off with “Pass me the salt” sounds a little like an order.
But it's even more polite to use a different form:
“Can you pass the salt, please?” or “Could you pass the salt, please?”From iTalki website
before Watch Out Watch out there Lookout Watch out saw and so these are commands so these are commands and requests this is the most this structure Why
So, this is the first option - the simplest form of the proposal. With the help of such forms, beginners communicate. Or, for example, tourists. They often say not even a verb, but just some one word:
Water, please. – Water please.
And this is communication. In the same way, small children communicate - with simple commands, with simple words. They either give a command, or ask for something, or urge us to do something.
State
There is no action here!
These are sentences that talk about states. The state is always expressed using the most important auxiliary verb to be – to be.
Verb to be wrong, it has many forms. At present, it is decomposed into am, is, are.
In Russian, such sentences are very simple: cold, hot, hard, easy, sad, fun. There is nothing special here, just a word (adverb). But in English, state sentences are built in the form of a complete structure: somebody or something is or located somewhere, somehow.
If we speak Russian simply cold, then the Englishman will say it is cold.
It's cold. – Cold.
Never in English does the subject begin with to me, me, to whom. This is the law. The subject always goes in the nominative case: who or what.
If you want to say to me cold, anyway you say I'm cold.
If you want to say I find it difficult then you say This is difficult for me.
You feel the logic is completely different.
Let us examine some more contradictory constructions. For example, how to say two apple trees outside? In English, this is also responsible for the state, because something somewhere located. And once it is (static position) - then we are talking about the state.
In English, the state sentence is constructed like this:
- There are two apple trees in the street.
- There are two cars outside.
- There's a lot of money in the bank.
- There are many people in the next room.
That is, when something somewhere located, they even have a certain speech pattern for this. And all proposals of this type are constructed in this way. In English, everything obeys clear patterns.
There are two apple trees on the street. – There are two apple trees outside.
There is not performer but this word plays performer role and still in order.
After the verb be in this construction, anything can stand (a wavy line in the diagram): your age, name, location, and much more. Often there may be sacraments. Remember our participles that answer the question which?
I am tired. – I'm tired.
Many do not understand why this is so. And they start translating the sentence I'm tired according to this logic: so, this is the past tense ... No! Because if you think about it, you are tired right now. That's why: I am tired.
Perhaps some of you have already seen on my channel “cake” of English reality, where we talked about the differences between Russian and English. And since we are talking about templates, let's remember this very important scheme.
“Cake” of English reality
The horizontal axis is time. Vertical - accents. Process, result and for a long time- these are the three main accents that are in the English language (highlighted in green). Yellow highlights the T-shaped matrix, which is needed for communication. Do not need anything else.
We will not analyze the formulas now, we will just see the idea itself.
So, speaking of the state, we also necessarily take into account this scheme.
Only here there are not 4 layers, but only 2. For generally and for process the first layer is responsible, and for result and for for a long time- second.
We are now considering only the key “T-shecks”. You can watch other videos on how the complete table is built, but this is not so important. Only the T-shaped areas of the table are important for communication.
Always responsible for the present first form of the verb, for the past - second, for the future will plus some form (usually the first one).
We have analyzed the state proposals. There is nothing more to say here. There are no other forms and other templates here.
Passive action (passive voice)
Do not confuse passive action and condition. There's action here albeit passive.
Otherwise, this type of sentence is very similar to a state. Passive action means not me myself do and with me do. In Russian, this is called the passive voice.
Unlike states, where anything can be a predicate (both two apple trees, as in the example above, and a participle), the passive structure always looks exactly like this:
In words, this scheme can be expressed as follows: there is a certain executor(subject) which is(verb to be) "done"(3rd form of the verb, she passive participle). That is, they did something to him.
In the passive always only the 3rd form of the verb is used. There can be no other forms here!
I'm invited. – I'm invited.
I'm criticized. – I am being criticized.
I am attracted to you. – I am attracted to you.
The pies are eaten. – The pies are eaten.
The text is typed . – The text has been typed.
The vase is broken. – The vase is broken.
If the sentence starts with the word me, it's confusing. Many are lost, how can such phrases be translated into English? But we remember the “golden rule”, according to which in English you should always start with the nominative case - who, what. I I am invited. I being loved, etc.
Let's look at the matrix of basic forms that are in the passive action.
Please note the diagram liabilities very similar to the diagram states, but only here there will always be a third form of the verb, because we are talking about action.
I'm watching every day. The sound of camera shutters is like white noise to me.
I am followed every day. The sound of a camera shutter is like white noise to me.I know I will be watched on this journey, and I do not want to give any ruler cause to be dissatisfied with me.
I know that I will be watched on this journey, and I do not want to give reasons for dissatisfaction with me.
I am being watched (I am being watched)
Let's show the result of some experience. Let's say I've been watched for 10 years, but I'm sharing it with you at the moment I'm talking about mine present. It is fact at the moment. But at the same time, we are talking about what was before for some time.
We seem to be summing up a certain result - they have been watching me for 10 years now. I have - I have (experience).
I have been watched for 10 years now.
I have been followed for 10 years.I have been watched for 10 years.
I have been followed for 10 years.
I have been asked over the years why I love baseball so much.
Over the years, people have asked me why I love baseball so much.
There is another difference passive action from states is the process level. For example, I have right now are being interviewed.
This form is built like this: helper verb to be(am | is | are) + being + 3 verb form(passive participle).
I'll call you later, I'm being interviewed right now.
I'll call back, I'm being interviewed right now.
We have considered three main types of sentences (speech patterns for communication) in order of increasing complexity: teams, condition and passive action. Now is the time to move on to active action.
Active action (active voice)
Active Collateral(asset) is the most complex type of sentence because it has the most forms. It may be difficult for you to figure it out right away. But if you know the main concept - our “English reality cake”, then everything falls into place. The main thing is to understand the logic.
We always have to describe our life, our activities: I do something, I live, I want, I love, I like, I work, I tell, I listen to someone- it's all active action.
The first layer is simply, in general, an ordinary fact. Nothing in particular is emphasized here. This is the simplest basic option. But there is one peculiarity here. In English, unlike Russian, there are concepts drip action(drip, intermittent) and current action(stretching, continuous).
Compare:
〰 I'm going (walking) right now (or 20 minutes already).
💧 I go on Tuesdays and Fridays.〰 I'm running right now either (or it's been 20 minutes already).
💧 I run (run) every morning (periodically).
Feel the difference? In Russian, we do not attach any importance to this - whether the action lasts or does not stretch. And in English this is the key point!
In the first row of the table, at the level Generally, we are talking about drip action. It either happened once (drip!) Or happens periodically/regularly: every day, once a year (drip! drip! drip!). This is not about process. It will be discussed further (third line of the table).
At the level Generally for present time, the sentence is built according to the Russian type - I do something. And that's it.
I live. – I live.
I want. – I want.
I feel. – I feel.〰 I love flowers. – I love flowers.
I ... them generally love, not periodically 🙂💧 I do yoga 3 times a week. – I do yoga 3 times a week.
doing periodically(in "drip" mode).
At the level Generally for past Time refers to an action that happened 2 minutes ago, 5 hours ago, last week - at a specific time. Not walked, a went down to the store. I just did everything.
Here we are not talking about happened, but only that happened. The proposal is built in the “Russian” version, i.e. without helper verbs. This applies to affirmative proposals. Helpers appear in negatives and questions.
Did and did- the same. Simply, in general, a fact. It was just everything.
and so the future is simple it's just will helper it's Will and desire I will do was I want to do until I show some will howl our committee quickly zero form love loved love catch catch catch Yes I want at least mother vanteda or there let's say I live I will live files files files I I am writing a message and this is MX3
Than the level Process different from the level Generally? Process means I'm doing something Currently something is going on (stretching) right now.
Remember if i am doing something right now, this is a completely different level of English reality. This is not just a fact, periodically repeated. It's a drag action. And in English it is always built like this: executor(subject), then an irregular helper verb do(am/is/are) and V-ing- the same one (it’s the “ing” form, it’s the participle -ing, -ing).
I'm runing. → I am a runner. – I am running.
I say. → I am the speaker. – I am talking.
Now let's talk about result. This is the experience for now. Just for now. We do not have this in Russian at all. Rather, it is, but we do not attach such importance to it.
For example, at the moment, right now, I tell you: "I have always loved English." What time is it? Would you say if loved, then the past tense. Not! I'm talking about my experience so far. I am having this experience right now. He is with me always.
I have seen so many of your photos. – I have seen so many pictures of you.
I have seen – I have "seen"I have always loved English. – I have always* loved English.
I have loved – I have a “beloved”
*Always and never do not like to stand at the end. They like to always come before the verb.
This form is very common in speech. When preschoolers start learning from the Peppa Pig cartoon, all the accents are found from the first series (In general, Process, Result, Long). But this emphasis result/experience- occurs most often. The speech is simply saturated with it. He is everywhere.
When we share an experience, news, achievement or result, we always use this form:
I lost something
I found
I see
I have read
I fell and broke
and so on
Children use this particular accent all the time - a fresh result, experience, news, achievement, some kind of result.
Accent "For a long time"- this is "Process" and "Result" together.
I've been talking to you for an hour now.
I have been talking to you for an hour.
I've had myself "stayed" talking to you for an hour now.
I have this experience (there is a result). And I keep doing it (I'm in the process). It turns out that I have process, and result(an experience).
In the present tense, all “engines” are in the first form. What are steam locomotives? I explain. In English, the first verb is always the most important. He is a steam locomotive. Everything else is wagons that attach 🚃🚃🚃.
This first verb can be either a regular verb or an aide ( to be in different forms). Everything else (trailers) may not be verbs. Never mind. But the first verb changes in time. He is always in charge of time.
Nadezhda Schastlivaya, Head of the Film School of Spoken English
The full-time school is located in Moscow and works remotely around the world.
The film school team helps their students learn spoken English, sends them abroad and helps them get settled there. All film school courses are based on the analysis of videos: series, films, TED videos.
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In order to build even the simplest sentence in English, you need to know the word order in the language. This seemingly simple but very important topic is the starting point in learning English grammar.
Subject + predicate + direct object
In an ordinary affirmative sentence, the subject is placed immediately before the predicate (verb). The direct object, when present, comes immediately after the verb. For example:
- They bought a car. — They bought a car.
- We can't do that. - We can't do that.
- The girl in a blue dress was playing the piano. — The girl in the blue dress was playing the piano.
Predicate
Note that by subject here we mean not only the main noun or pronoun, but also the adjectives or descriptive phrases that refer to it. The rest of the sentence, which does not refer to the subject, is called the predicate. For example:
- The girl in a blue dress was playing the piano.
Indirect additions and circumstances
If there are any other parts in the sentence - indirect objects or circumstances - they usually occupy a strictly defined place.
Position of indirect complement
after direct object if it contains the preposition to.
An indirect addition is put before by direct object when to is absent. For example:
- The teacher gave dictionaries to the pupils. The teacher handed out dictionaries to the students.
- The teacher gave them dictionaries. The teacher gave them dictionaries.
Position of circumstance
The circumstance can be placed in three places:
Before the subject (usually these are circumstances of time)
- In the morning he was reading a book. — He was reading a book in the morning.
After the addition (here you can put almost any adverb or adverbial phrase):
- He was reading a book at the library. — He was reading a book in the library.
Between the auxiliary and the main verb (as a rule, these are short adverbs):
- He has already read this book. He has already read the book.
Normally, in standard English, no other words are placed between the subject and the predicate, or between the predicate and the object. But there are a few exceptions. Here are the most important ones:
Adverbs of frequency of action and indirect objects without the preposition to
- I sometimes drink coffee in the morning. - I sometimes I drink coffee in the morning.
- He showed the driver his bus pass. - He showed driver your bus pass.
If you follow these simple rules, you will be able to avoid misplaced words in an English sentence. The examples given are intentionally simple - but the same rules can be applied to more . For example:
- The woman,, never went to sleep before - A woman [who often felt lonely] never went to bed [without calling her sister].
Stylistic change in word order
Of course, there are exceptions to the rules, and writers or speakers often use non-standard word order to achieve special effect. But if we now focus on exceptions, we digress from the main principles, and the problem of word order in a sentence can seem very complicated.
So here are a few more examples: you should be aware that such sentences exist, but don't try to use them unless absolutely necessary until you master the principles of normal word order (remember to learn how to walk first, and then run!):
- Never before had he felt so miserable. He had never felt so miserable before.
If the sentence begins with never or never before, the subject and verb are often inverted, i.e. change places. Don't use inversion when never follows the subject!
- Hardly had I finished cleaning the house, my friend called. I had hardly finished cleaning the house when my friend called.
(When a sentence begins with hardly, the subject and verb must always be inverted.)
- Had they known, they "d never have done that." - If they knew this, they would never have done that.
(The inversion is used in hypothetical condition structures when the if is omitted.)
- Whatever you can tell me, I know already. “Whatever you tell me, I already know it.
Here's the extended addendum, Whatever you can tell me, placed at the beginning of a sentence for artistic reasons: this sentence structure is not necessary, it's just .
Now, having mastered the rules for constructing simple sentences, you can move on to more complex sentences with subordinate structures.
How do you feel about non-standard word order in English? Difficult, don't you understand? Share in the comments!
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