How to build a Sentence in English

In English, a sentence can be affirmative, negative, or interrogative.

How do you construct each type of sentence in English? Where do you place the subject, the adjective, the verbs, and the adverbs?

ISpeakSpokeSpoken explains everything to you!

How to make an affirmative sentence in English

To construct an English sentence in the affirmative form, you must:

• Place the subject first.
• Follow with the verb.
• Then add the complement (the rest of the sentence).

The position of the adverb can vary depending on the sentence.

1. What is a sentence in the affirmative form?

An affirmative sentence expresses that something:

• is true
• is possible
• is probable
• is necessary

2. Constructing sentences in the affirmative form: word order

Syntax refers to the order of words. In a simple affirmative sentence, the syntax in English follows this structure: subject + verb + complement.

2.1. The Subject

In an affirmative sentence, the subject is necessary along with the verb. In English, the verb agrees in number (singular or plural). There is no distinction of gender (masculine or feminine) for adjectives in the language of Shakespeare.

In English, the subject can consist of one word or several words. It can be:

• a first name: Sam, for example.
• A noun with or without a determiner: The boat or People, for example.
• a noun combined with one or more adjectives: The yellow car or The new building for example.
• a personal pronoun: You or She, for example.

When the subject is made up of several words, we refer to it as either:

• a noun phrase

• or a pronominal group

2.2. The Verb

The verb is as essential as the subject in forming a sentence. A verb is a word or group of words that describes actions or states. The verb varies based on:

• Number (singular or plural)
• Tense (past, present, future, etc.)
• Mood (conditional, imperative, etc.)

In English, an affirmative sentence typically places the subject directly before the verb.

2.3. The Complement

The complement is a word or group of words added to another word or group of words. Its purpose is to complete or clarify the meaning of the sentence.

We mainly distinguish between:

• the direct object complement (DOC): Answers the question who, what?
• the indirect object complement (IOC): Answers questions like to whom, to what, from whom, of what, etc.?

The DOC directly completes the verb: Stanley loves chocolate, for example.
The IOC, on the other hand, is linked to the verb by a preposition: We never talk about religion, for example.

Making an affirmative sentence in English usually involves placing the complement after the verb.

3. Construction of affirmative sentences in English: some remarks

3.1. With or without the preposition to

The complement can sometimes be introduced by the preposition to, or not. The position of the indirect object will vary depending on this.

3.2. The position of the adverb

In English, the adverb or adverbial phrase can be placed in different positions:

• before the subject,
• after the direct object complement,
• in the middle of the verb group.

Example with the adverb before the subject: 

• Last year, Mike was in Australia.
  A comma is used after the adverb when it’s at the start of the sentence.

Example without the adverb in the middle of the verb phrase:

• We have already eaten.

4. Some examples of affirmative sentence construction in English

How to make an interrogative sentence in English

To construct an English sentence in the interrogative form, start with the auxiliary or modal verb followed by the subject, the verb, and the complement. At the beginning of the sentence, you can insert an interrogative pronoun like what, where, or how.

1. What is an interrogative sentence?

An interrogative sentence allows you to ask a question, express a doubt, or request confirmation.

2. Constructing interrogative sentences: word order

The word order in an interrogative sentence depends on whether or not you use a question word, such as what, where, or who.

So, you will write (your choice):

• interrogative word + auxiliary or modal + subject + verb + complement

• auxiliary or modal + subject + verb + complement

2.1. Question words in English

Interrogative pronouns are used to get different types of information. These include:

2.2. Auxiliaries

An auxiliary verb is used with a main verb (in the form of a participle or infinitive) to form tenses, questions, or negatives. In English, there are 3 main auxiliary verbs:

• be
• have
• do

In this example, we use the auxiliary have and the past participle been because the tense is the present perfect. Here:

• where is the interrogative pronoun
• you is the subject
• have is the auxiliary
• been is the past participle of the verb to be.

2.3. And the modals

In addition to the three auxiliary verbs (be, have, do), we can use modal verbs to express ability, possibility, necessity, or permission. The main modal verbs are:

• can;
• could;
• may;
• might;
• must;
• shall;
• should;
• will;
• would;
• ought to.

Here:

• would is the modal
• have is the auxiliary
• been is the past participle of the verb to be

3. Construction of interrogative sentences in English: some remarks

3.1. How to use how and what in an exclamatory sentence

In English, sentences that begin with how or what function as questions, but they can also be used with an exclamation to express strong emotions or affective judgments.

In a simple exclamation, the word order can be:

• how + adjective + subject + verb

• what + a or an + adjective + noun

3.2. Have you and do you have

In English, an interrogative sentence using the verb to have can be structured in two main ways, depending on the preference for British or American English:

• do + subject + have (commonly used in American English)

• have + subject (+ got) (commonly used in British English)

Both forms are correct and express possession, with slight differences in regional usage:

• Have got is mainly used in British English.
• Do + have is mainly used in American English.

4. Some examples of constructing interrogative sentences in English

Here are 3 examples of interrogative sentences in English:

How to make a negative sentence in English

To construct a negative sentence in English, you must: first place the subject, then the auxiliary or modal followed by not, the verb, and the complement. Not can be contracted to form don’t, didn’t, or haven’t.

1. What is a negative sentence?

A negative sentence is used to express that something is not true. It contradicts or denies the statement of an affirmative sentence.

2. Building sentences in the negative form: word order

The syntax of a simple negative sentence is as follows:

• subject + auxiliary or modal verb + not + main verb + complement.

3. Negative sentence construction in English: some remarks

The contraction of do / did and not

English speakers often use contractions, especially in spoken language: do and not become don’t, did and not become didn’t.

Expressing prohibition with don’t

Using do not or don’t at the beginning of a sentence followed by a verb expresses a prohibition or instruction not to do something.

4. Some examples of negative sentence construction in English