Hello everyone! Welcome back to Dr. Byrnes' TOEFL and Duolingo English Test Show!
Today, we're going to learn one of the most important grammar topics in English: word order, or how English sentences are organized. Word order is tested directly in the TOEFL Build a Sentence question. It is also essential for solving Duolingo English Test Read and Complete questions, where you must determine which words correctly complete the sentence.
Think of word order as the skeleton of a sentence. You can't simply throw words together and expect to create a grammatical sentence. For example, like Yoda from Star Wars, you might say, "Strong, Force, this kid." "The words are there, but grammar tells us how to arrange them into a sentence. Standard English would be, "This kid is strong with the Force." Grammar isn't just about knowing the right words—it's about putting them together in the correct order.
Now, to build a correct sentence, you need to understand several grammar rules. First, are you asking a question or making a statement? In English, statements usually follow the pattern Subject + Verb, while questions often place the verb before the subject.
Another essential grammar rule is understanding what comes after the verb. Many English verbs cannot stand alone. They require complements—words or phrases that complete their meaning. Some verbs require an object, while others do not. Different types of verbs require different kinds of complements, and the structure of the sentence changes accordingly.
At the most basic level, every English sentence consists of a subject and a verb. If the verb requires a complement, that complement must also be included to complete the sentence. In some cases, a verb requires more than one complement, and those complements must appear in the correct order. If a required complement is missing or the complements are arranged in the wrong order, the sentence is no longer grammatical.
Based on the kinds of complements they take, English verbs can be grouped into five basic sentence patterns. Think of these patterns as the skeletons of English sentences. Once you master these five patterns, you'll be able to build almost any sentence in English.
So, in today's lesson, we'll study these five verb patterns in detail and learn how they form the foundation of English sentence structure.
Verb classification
Before we look at the five sentence patterns, let's first classify English verbs.
The first question to ask is whether the verb requires an object. If it does, the verb is transitive. If it does not, the verb is intransitive. Of the five basic verb types, three are transitive and two are intransitive.
The second question is whether the verb requires a complement. If a verb expresses a complete idea by itself, we can think of it as perfect because nothing more is needed. If the verb requires an additional complement to complete its meaning, we can think of it as imperfect.
Among the intransitive verbs, one type is perfect because it does not require any complement at all. The other is imperfect because it requires a subject complement.
Among the transitive verbs, one type is perfect because it requires only a direct object. Another is called ditransitive since it requires two objects—an indirect object and a direct object. Finally, there is imperfect because it requires both a direct object and an object complement. So, the five basic verb types are:
Perfect Intransitive
Imperfect Intransitive
Perfect Transitive
Ditransitive (Transitive with an Indirect Object and a Direct Object)
Imperfect Transitive
 |
| 5 sentence patterns based on Verb Complements |
Now, let's examine each of these five verb types one by one.
Type 1 – Perfect Intransitive (Subject + Verb)
Our first sentence pattern is called the Perfect Intransitive pattern. The structure is very simple:
Subject + Verb (S + V)
A Type 1 sentence has only a subject and a verb. The verb does not require an object or a complement. The subject and the verb alone are enough to form a complete sentence.
For example:
The Earth revolves.
It rains.
Everyone left.
The meeting started.
The baby cried.
You might ask, "The Earth revolves... what?" The answer is nothing. The verb revolve does not require an object. Of course, we often add more information, such as:
The Earth revolves around the Sun.
Notice that around the Sun is a prepositional phrase. It is a modifier, not an essential sentence element. The sentence was already complete before we added the modifier.
The same idea applies to the verb rain.
It rains.
It rains hard.
It rains every afternoon.
It rains cats and dogs.
The words hard, every afternoon, and cats and dogs simply provide additional information. They do not change the basic sentence pattern.
Also remember that the verb does not have to be in the simple present tense. Any tense can follow this pattern.
I slept.
I am sleeping.
I was sleeping.
I have slept.
I had been sleeping for three hours.
All of these are still Type 1 sentences because the verb does not require an object or complement.
Although the basic pattern is short, Type 1 sentences can become quite long when we add modifiers.
For example:
It is raining.
The sentence is already complete. We can make it longer:
It is raining heavily outside because a tropical storm is moving toward the coast.
Even though the sentence is much longer, the main sentence pattern is still simply:
It + is raining
Everything else is a modifier.
Here is another example.
A: Why was the meeting rescheduled?
B: It was moved to a time when everyone could attend.
The main clause is simply:
It was moved.
The phrase to a time when everyone could attend gives additional information about the move, but it is not required to complete the main clause.
TOEFL Build a Sentence Strategy
Let's solve two TOEFL Build a Sentence questions that use Verb Pattern 1 (Perfect Intransitive).
As always, first identify the main subject and the main verb.
Then ask yourself:
Does this verb require an object?
If the answer is no, you have a Perfect Intransitive sentence.
Finally, attach any modifiers, prepositional phrases, or dependent clauses in their natural positions to complete the sentence.
Question 1
What happened during the conference?
Word Bank: continued / he meeting / despite / several / interruptions
Let's solve it step by step.
First, identify the subject. Both the meeting and interruptions are nouns, so they are possible subject candidates.
Next, identify the verb. Continued is the only verb, so it must be the main verb.
Now ask yourself, What continued? There are two possibilities:
The meeting continued...
Interruptions continued...
To decide, look at the remaining words for more clues.
The word despite is a preposition, so it must be followed by its object.
The word several is a determiner that modifies a plural countable noun. The only plural noun is interruptions, so several interruptions must stay together as the object of the preposition:
despite several interruptions
Now only the meeting remains available to function as the subject.
Notice that the alternative order,
Several interruptions continued despite the meeting,
is grammatically possible, but it does not answer the question "What happened during the conference?" It also expresses an unlikely meaning. Meetings continue even though there are interruptions—not the other way around.
Therefore, the only sentence that is both grammatically correct and logically answers the question is:
Answer:
The meeting continued despite several interruptions.
Question 2
Why was everyone relieved?
The _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____.
ended / had lasted / storm / for / finally / after / it / three days
Let's solve it step by step.
First, identify the subject. Because the sentence begins with The, we need a noun to follow it. The two noun candidates are storm and three days.
Which one is the subject?
Look at the pronoun it. A pronoun must refer back to a singular noun. It can refer to the storm, but it cannot refer to three days, which is a duration expression. Therefore, the subject must be the storm.
Next, identify the finite verbs. There are two finite verb forms: ended and had lasted. A finite verb has tense and can function as the predicate of a clause. Since there are two finite verbs, there must be two clauses in this sentence.
Now look for a conjunction that can connect the two clauses. The word after is a subordinating conjunction, so it introduces a dependent clause.
Here's a useful grammar tip. The verb had lasted is in the past perfect tense. The past perfect is commonly used in a dependent clause to describe an action that happened before another action in the past.
Therefore, the main clause should be:
The storm finally ended.
The adverb finally modifies the verb ended, telling us when the storm ended. Notice that ended is a complete intransitive verb. It does not require an object or a complement. This is a Type 1 sentence pattern (Subject + Verb).
Now let's build the dependent clause introduced by after. A clause needs a subject and a finite verb.
it is the subject.
had lasted is the finite verb.
for three days is a prepositional phrase expressing duration.
This gives us:
after it had lasted for three days
Finally, combine the main clause and the dependent clause:
The storm finally ended after it had lasted for three days.
This sentence is both grammatically correct and logically answers the question "Why was everyone relieved?"
Answer:
The storm finally ended after it had lasted for three days.
Type 2 – Imperfect Intransitive
Our second sentence pattern is called the Imperfect Intransitive pattern.
The structure is:
Subject + Verb + Subject Complement (S + V + SC)
Unlike Type 1, the verb cannot express a complete idea by itself. It needs a subject complement (SC) to complete its meaning.
A subject complement describes, identifies, or renames the subject.
For example:
The weather is beautiful.
The soup tastes delicious.
She became a doctor.
The room looks empty.
The meeting was successful.
Notice what happens if we remove the complement.
The weather is...
She became...
The room looks...
These sentences feel incomplete because the verb requires additional information. The complement completes the meaning of the verb.
Remember, the complement refers back to the subject, not an object.
For example,
The weather is beautiful.
The weather = Subject
is = Verb
beautiful = Subject Complement
The adjective beautiful describes the weather, not another noun.
Likewise,
She became a doctor.
The noun phrase a doctor identifies she. It is not a direct object because become is an intransitive verb.
Common Type 2 Verbs
Many Type 2 verbs are called linking verbs because they link the subject to a description or identity.
Common examples include:
be
become
seem
appear
remain
feel
look
sound
smell
taste
grow
stay
Whenever you see one of these verbs, ask yourself: What describes or identifies the subject? That answer is usually the subject complement. Just like Type 1 sentences, Type 2 sentences can become much longer. However, the basic pattern never changes.
For example,
I am curious if he mentioned any specific requirements.
The basic sentence is simply:
I am curious.
The if-clause
if he mentioned any specific requirements
explains what the speaker is curious about.
It does not change the basic sentence pattern.
The professor seemed confident even though several students challenged his conclusions.
Basic sentence:
The professor seemed confident.
Everything after confident is additional information.
Another Example
The room became unusually quiet after the announcement was made.
Basic sentence:
The room became quiet.
The words
unusually and after the announcement was made
simply modify the sentence.
Let's tackle two TOEFL Build a Sentence questions that use Type 2 sentence structure.
The first is a simple sentence, containing just one independent clause.
The second is a complex sentence, containing one independent clause and one dependent clause.
Question:
What did you think of the movie?
Sentence:
In _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____.
Word bank: was / very / my opinion / it / not / entertaining
First, notice that the sentence begins with In. This immediately tells us that the sentence starts with a prepositional phrase.
In my opinion
This prepositional phrase simply tells us whose opinion is being expressed.
Now let's build the main sentence.
The only suitable subject is:
it
The verb is:
was
Notice that not comes after the linking verb:
it was not...
The subject complement is the adjective:
entertaining
The adverb very modifies the adjective entertaining, giving us:
very entertaining
Now put everything together:
In my opinion, it was not very entertaining.
Great! Now let's move on to a Type 2 complex sentence that contains a relative clause.
Question:
What was the highlight of your trip?
Sentence:
The _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ fantastic.
Word bank: were / the / was / old city / showed us around / who / tour guides
First, notice that we have was and were. This tells us that the sentence will most likely end with was fantastic or were fantastic. Since fantastic describes the subject, it is the subject complement (SC). Therefore, this is a Type 2 sentence pattern (Subject + Verb + Subject Complement).
So, our main sentence skeleton is:
Subject + was/were + fantastic
Now we need to identify the subject.
We have two possibilities:
the old city (singular) → was fantastic
the tour guides (plural) → were fantastic
How do we decide?
The key clue is the relative pronoun who.
The relative pronoun who refers to people, so its antecedent must be the tour guides, not the old city.
So far, we have:
The tour guides who...
Next, we complete the relative clause.
The appropriate verb is:
showed us around
So we have:
The tour guides who showed us around...
The word around is a preposition, so it needs an object.
The only noun that fits is:
the old city
Notice that city is a countable singular noun, so it must have a determiner. Therefore, we say:
the old city
Now the complete subject is:
The tour guides who showed us around the old city
Finally, we return to the main sentence. Since tour guides is plural, we choose the plural linking verb:
were
The complete sentence is:
The tour guides who showed us around the old city were fantastic.
Type 3 – Perfect Transitive
Subject + Verb + Direct Object (S + V + DO)
Type 3 is probably the most intuitive sentence pattern because it expresses a simple action that transfers to a direct object.
For example:
I kicked the ball.
Subject: I
Verb: kicked
Direct Object: the ball
The action of kicking is received by the ball.
If we simply say, "I kicked...", the sentence feels incomplete because the transitive verb kick requires a direct object. It naturally makes us ask:
Kicked what?
The answer is the direct object.
Many common English verbs follow this pattern, such as read, write, buy, watch, visit, and solve.
Grammar Elements That Can Function as a Direct Object
Now, you might think that a direct object is always a noun, and that's true most of the time. In fact, nouns and noun phrases are by far the most common direct objects in English. However, they're not the only possibilities.
A direct object is simply the word, phrase, or clause that receives the action of a transitive verb. To identify it, ask:
What?
Whom?
after the verb.
Let's look at the most common grammar elements that can function as a direct object.
1. Nouns
The simplest and most common direct object is a noun.
She bought a laptop.
The child kicked the ball.
We visited the museum.
They adopted a puppy.
2. Pronouns
A pronoun can also function as the direct object.
I saw him yesterday.
She invited us to dinner.
The teacher praised them.
We recognized her immediately.
3. Noun Phrases
Very often, the direct object is an entire noun phrase, not just a single noun.
They visited the new science museum.
I finished my history assignment.
She ordered a large cup of coffee.
The company launched its newest smartphone model.
So far, these are the kinds of direct objects you'll see most often. But English also allows larger grammatical structures to function as direct objects.
4. Gerund Phrases
A gerund phrase can serve as the direct object of many verbs.
She enjoys reading mystery novels.
They discussed improving customer service.
He avoided driving in heavy traffic.
We practiced speaking English every day.
5. Infinitive Phrases
Some verbs take an infinitive phrase as their direct object.
He decided to study abroad.
She hopes to become a doctor.
They agreed to postpone the meeting.
We planned to leave early.
She wants to learn Korean.
6. Noun Clauses
Finally, an entire noun clause can function as the direct object. In other words, the object isn't just a word or phrase—it can be an entire clause.
She explained why the experiment failed.
We discussed what we should do next.
The committee decided who would lead the project.
I believe that she will succeed.
He remembered where he had parked the car.
She couldn't decide whether she should accept the offer.
Notice something very interesting about noun clauses.
A finite noun clause can often be shortened to a wh- word + infinitive. This happens when the subject of the infinitive is understood from the context, so it does not need to be stated explicitly.
Let's compare a few examples.
I don't know what I should do. → I don't know what to do.
She couldn't decide where she should go. → She couldn't decide where to go.
We discussed how we should solve the problem. → We discussed how to solve the problem.
He remembered when he should leave. → He remembered when to leave.
They haven't decided which hotel they should choose. → They haven't decided which hotel to choose.
Notice that the meaning stays the same, but the second sentence is shorter and more concise. This is a very common pattern in both spoken and written English.
However, you cannot always shorten a finite noun clause.
If the subject is different or must be stated explicitly, you must keep the finite noun clause.
For example:
✔ I don't know what you should do.
✘ I don't know what to do.
These two sentences do not mean the same thing. The shortened version means I don't know what I should do, not what you should do.
Here's another example:
✔ She explained where the students should sit.
✘ She explained where to sit.
Again, the shortened version loses the meaning because it no longer clearly refers to the students.
Now look at this example:
✔ The teacher told us when we should submit the assignment.
✔ The teacher told us when to submit the assignment.
Both sentences are correct. Why?
Because the understood subject of the infinitive is us, and that subject is already clear from the context. In other words, the understood subject does not always have to be the subject of the main clause. It can also be the object of the main verb, as long as it is clear who is expected to perform the action.
Now let's work on a few TOEFL Build a Sentence questions that use Pattern 3 (Subject + Verb + Direct Object).
Question 1
How did you prepare for the exam?
Sentence:
I used _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____.
Word bank: by / the professor / that / the study guide / was provided / it
First, identify the main verb.
The verb is used.
Now ask the Pattern 3 question:
Used what?
The answer must be the direct object.
The only noun phrase that can serve as the direct object is:
the study guide
Next, notice the relative pronoun that. It introduces a relative clause modifying the study guide.
Now we need a verb for the relative clause.
The only choice is:
was provided
Finally, by the professor is a prepositional phrase telling us who provided the study guide.
The word it is a distractor. It is not needed.
Answer:
I used the study guide that was provided by the professor.
Question 2
Are you going to the concert tonight?
Sentence:
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ music.
Word bank: do / kind / of / that / not / like / I
Let's first take a look at the words we have. The subject candidates are nouns or pronouns, so here we have kind, that, and I as possibilities. The verb candidates are do and like.
We also have not, so we know this is going to be a negative sentence.
Like is a normal verb, so we need do to form the negative:
do not like
The only suitable subject is I, so we have:
I do not like...
Now we ask:
Like what?
The answer is:
that kind of music
So, that kind of music is the direct object of the verb like.
Put everything together:
I do not like that kind of music.
Here is your version cleaned up while keeping all of your material and the same lecture-style progression:
Question 3
Why didn't you buy the house on the hill?
We _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____.
Word bank:
would have / it / affordable / bought / if the price / been / more / had / sold
The question asks why you didn't buy the house. When we look at the words given in the response, we see words such as would have, had, and if, which clearly indicate a condition.
This tells us that the sentence uses a subjunctive form, which is used to talk about a situation that is opposite to reality. The situation is in the past, as indicated by didn't, so the response describes an unreal or hypothetical past situation. In grammar, this is commonly called the past perfect subjunctive or third conditional.
The basic structure is:
If + subject + had + past participle, subject + would have + past participle.
However, in this question, the main clause comes before the if-clause.
So we can expect two clauses:
an if-clause, which is the dependent clause with if + had + past participle
a main clause, which contains would have + past participle
Let's build the main clause first.
The subject is:
We
The verb phrase is:
would have + past participle
The possible past participles in the word bank are bought, been, and sold. Among these, bought has the correct meaning and fits the structure:
would have bought
Now ask:
Bought what?
The answer is the house, but we can refer back to it with the pronoun:
it
So we have:
We would have bought it...
Now let's build the dependent clause beginning with if.
We have:
if the price
So the subject is:
the price
We need a verb that follows the structure had + past participle. We are talking about the condition of buying the house, and the condition is that the price was affordable.
The appropriate verb is:
been
And the subject complement is:
affordable
So we have:
if the price had been affordable
We still have one more blank. Since all the essential elements are already in place, we need a modifier. The word more modifies the adjective affordable:
more affordable
So the complete dependent clause is:
if the price had been more affordable
Now put the two clauses together:
We would have bought it if the price had been more affordable.
Notice that sold is the extra word and is not used.
Final answer:
We would have bought it if the price had been more affordable.
Type 4 – Ditransitive
Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object (S + V + IO + DO)
In a Type 4 sentence, the verb takes two objects:
an indirect object (IO), which receives something, and
a direct object (DO), which is the thing being given, sent, shown, or told.
For example:
I gave her the ball.
Subject: I
Verb: gave
Indirect Object: her
Direct Object: the ball
The indirect object usually answers "To whom?" or "For whom?", while the direct object answers "What?"
Many common English verbs follow this pattern, including:
give – She gave me a book.
send – They sent her an email.
lend – Could you lend me some money?
buy – He bought his friend a ticket.
tell – I told her the truth.
show – She showed us the report.
offer – They offered her a job.
make – She made him a sandwich.
teach – They taught us a new method.
ask – I asked him a question.
A useful strategy is to identify the verb and ask two questions:
To whom? or For whom? → Indirect Object
What? → Direct Object
For example:
She showed us the report.
Showed to whom? → us (IO)
Showed what? → the report (DO)
comparing Type 3 and Type 4
Type 4 is very similar to Type 3 because both use transitive verbs.
The difference is simple:
Type 3 verbs take one object.
Type 4 verbs take two objects.
Let's compare them.
Type 3
She read the book.
Here, the book is the direct object.
Now look at a Type 4 sentence.
Type 4
She read me the book.
Here,
me is the indirect object, and
the book is the direct object.
Both sentences express essentially the same event, but the second sentence tells us who received the book.
An important point is that many common Type 4 sentences can also be expressed as Type 3 sentences by changing the indirect object into a prepositional phrase.
Notice what happens.
The direct object moves immediately after the verb, and the indirect object becomes a prepositional phrase beginning with to or for.
Use to when the action involves giving, sending, showing, telling, teaching, or transferring something to another person.
Use for when the action involves doing, making, buying, or obtaining something for another person's benefit.
For example:
She gave me a book. → She gave a book to me.
They sent her an email. → They sent an email to her.
She showed us the report. → She showed the report to us.
He bought his friend a ticket. → He bought a ticket for his friend.
She made him a sandwich. → She made a sandwich for him.
Could you get me some coffee? → Could you get some coffee for me?
As you can see, the meaning stays the same. Only the sentence pattern changes.
However, not every Type 4 verb alternates naturally. Some verbs either do not allow the Type 3 pattern, or the Type 3 version sounds awkward or changes the meaning.
For example:
Cost
✔ The book cost me $20.
✘ The book cost $20 to me.
Envy
✔ I envy him his confidence.
✘ I envy his confidence to him.
Forgive
✔ She forgave him his mistake.
✘ She forgave his mistake to him.
Type 4 sentences can be quite complex when the objects are noun clauses. These are sentences where the direct object is a noun clause.
Tell me why you changed your mind.
Ask him when he plans to submit the report.
Show us what you learned from the experiment.
Teach me how I can improve my pronunciation.
Here, me, him, and us are the indirect objects, while the noun clauses—why you changed your mind, when he plans to submit the report, and what you learned from the experiment—are the direct objects.
Occasionally, a noun clause can also function as the indirect object, especially with whoever.
For example:
She told whoever was listening the whole story.
The professor promised whoever completed the survey extra credit.
They offered whoever needed help a free consultation.
In more advanced sentences, both the indirect object and the direct object can be clauses.
For example:
The teacher promised whoever finished the project early that they would get extra credit.
The manager told whoever wanted to leave early why the schedule had been changed.
The coordinator offered whoever applied before Friday whatever support they needed.
Let's look at a TOEFL Build a Sentence question that uses Type 4 sentence structure.
Question
Why did the manager decide to organize a team-building retreat?
Sentence:
The _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ higher employee morale.
Word bank: to / promised / company / staff / a weekend at the resort / its / in order / boost
First, let's look for the subject and the verb.
The possible nouns are company and staff.
The only word that shows tense is promised, so it must be the main verb.
Since promise is commonly a Type 4 verb, we expect the sentence pattern to be:
Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object
Now let's identify the subject.
Which noun can perform the action of promised?
The company works perfectly.
So we have:
The company promised...
Next, ask th e first Type 4 question:
Promised to whom?
The answer is:
staff
Since staff is a singular countable noun in this context, it needs a determiner.
The only determiner available is:
its
So we have:
its staff
This is the indirect object.
So far, we have:
The company promised its staff...
Now ask the second Type 4 question:
Promised what?
The answer is:
a weekend at the resort
This is the direct object.
Now the main sentence is complete:
The company promised its staff a weekend at the resort...
We still have three words left:
in order / to / boost
Notice that boost can be either a noun or a verb. Here, after to, it must be a verb, forming an infinitive.
So we have:
in order to boost
This is an adverbial infinitive phrase expressing purpose.
Finally, combine it with the words already given at the end of the sentence:
higher employee morale
Now the complete infinitive phrase is:
in order to boost higher employee morale
Now put everything together.
Answer:
The company promised its staff a weekend at the resort in order to boost higher employee morale.
Type 5 – Transitive with Object Complement
Structure:
Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement (S + V + DO + OC)
Type 5 is similar to Type 3 because both contain a transitive verb and a direct object. However, Type 5 has one additional element: an object complement (OC).
An object complement completes the meaning of the direct object by:
Renaming the object
Describing the object
Let's compare these two sentences:
The company elected a new leader.
The direct object is a new leader, and the sentence is complete. This is a Type 3 sentence because it only contains:
Subject + Verb + Direct Object
Now look at this sentence:
The company elected him president.
The direct object is him.
The word president is the object complement.
The word president does not receive the action. Instead, it tells us what him became or what he was considered to be.
Object Complements: Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbals
Nouns and adjectives are the most common types of object complements.
A noun object complement renames the object, while an adjective object complement describes the object.
Noun Examples:
The students elected John class president.
They named the baby Emma.
The company appointed Maria director.
Many people consider him a genius.
The committee chose Sarah team leader.
Adjective Examples:
The news made him angry.
The experience made her confident.
The teacher found the students prepared.
They painted the wall blue.
The movie left everyone speechless.
However, verbals, such as participles and infinitives, can also function as object complements.
Participles describe the resulting condition or ongoing state of the object.
Present Participle (-ing) Examples:
The news kept everyone waiting.
The movie kept the audience laughing.
The teacher caught the students cheating.
The comedian left the crowd smiling.
The exciting story kept the children listening.
Past Participle (-ed) Examples:
The experience left him confused.
The announcement kept everyone informed.
The difficult instructions made the students frustrated.
The accident left the road damaged.
The surprising result left the researchers shocked.
Infinitives (to + verb) as Object Complements
Infinitives can also function as object complements after certain verbs.
Examples:
The teacher encouraged the students to participate.
The coach allowed the players to rest.
The company requires employees to complete the training.
The manager asked the staff to arrive early.
The teacher advised me to study harder.
Since verbals can have their own complements and modifiers, Type 5 sentences can become very long and complex.
For example:
The teacher encouraged the students to complete the difficult research project before the deadline.
The manager asked the employees to submit the final report by Friday.
The coach motivated the players to practice harder during the season.
This is why Type 5 sentences require careful analysis. A sentence may contain not only a direct object and an object complement, but also additional information inside the verbal phrase.
Let's try a few TOEFL Build a Sentence–style questions.
Question 1:
Did you enjoy the book I lent you?
Sentence:
I did not _____ _____ _____ _____ .
Word bank: find / to be / was / very engaging / the story
First, identify the basic sentence structure.
The sentence begins with:
I did not...
Because we have did, the main verb must be in the base form.
The only possible main verb is:
find
The verb find can follow the Type 5 pattern:
Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement
find + object + complement
Now identify the direct object and the object complement.
The direct object answers:
Find what?
The answer is:
the story
The object complement describes the direct object.
Here, the adjective phrase:
very engaging
describes the story.
So we have:
I did not find the story very engaging.
This sentence is already grammatically complete. However, there is still one blank left, so we need to use the remaining words to create another possible Type 5 structure.
The remaining words form the infinitive phrase:
to be very engaging
Here, to be very engaging functions as the object complement.
The word was is a distractor because after did not, we cannot use a past tense verb.
Final sentence:
I did not find the story to be very engaging.
Verbs Can Appear in Different Sentence Patterns
Now, one important point to remember is that a verb is not always limited to one sentence pattern. The same verb can appear in different patterns depending on how it is used and what meaning the speaker intends.
For example, look at the verb sink:
The boat sank. → Type 1: S + V
We sank the boat. → Type 3: S + V + DO
The verb is the same, but its pattern changes because the meaning and use of the verb change.
Many Type 3 and Type 4 verbs can also alternate between the two patterns.
For example:
She gave me a book. → Type 4
She gave a book to me. → Type 3
The same basic meaning can be expressed using either pattern.
There is another important point with Type 4 and Type 5. Sometimes the same verb can appear in both patterns, but the difference is not simply a matter of word order. The meaning of the verb changes depending on the pattern.
For example:
He made me a house. → Type 4
Here, me is the indirect object, and a house is the direct object. He constructed a house for me.He made me president. → Type 5
Here, me is the direct object, and president is the object complement. He caused me to become president.
So, when identifying a sentence pattern, don't look only at the verb. Look at how the verb is being used, what complements follow it, and what the sentence means.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for sharing your ideas.