Five Basic Clause Patterns
Once again, here are the five basic clause patterns.
| 1 | subject | linking verb | complement | |
| 2 | subject | action verb | ||
| 3 | subject | action verb | (direct) object | |
| 4 | subject | action verb | indirect object | direct object |
| 5 | dummy subject |
the rest of the sentence | ||
Each of these patterns has a "name" and a "formula". The formula is just a short-hand way of remembering the order of the elements in that pattern.
|
Name | Formula |
| 1 | equative | S=C |
| 2 | intransitive | SV |
| 3 | transitive | SVO |
| 4 | ditransitive | SVOiOd |
| 5 | dummy subject |
There is / It is |
Instructions for the Quiz
Match the name with the formula. In other words:
- If you are given the name, choose the corresponding formula.
- If you are given the formula, choose the corresponding name.