Sentence Type 1: Subject + Verb

The simplest English sentence has a subject and a verb. The subject is generally a noun or pronoun, or a group of words around a noun.

• James jumped.

The subject is James (a noun). The verb is jumped.

Sentence Type 2: Subject + Verb + Object

The second type of sentence has a subject, a verb and an object. Both the subject and the object are generally nouns or pronouns. Usually the subject does something to the object and the verb is an action.

• I am eating the cake.

The subject is I (a pronoun), the verb is am eating, and the object is the cake (a noun).

Sentence Type 3: Subject + Linking Verb + Complement

The third type of sentence has a subject, a linking verb and a complement. In this case, the verb is not an action. Instead, it links the subject to the complement. The complement tells us something about the subject and is often an adjective or a noun. The main linking verbs in English are: be, become, get (when it means ‘become’) and seem. Other verbs like look, sound, smell and feel are sometimes linking verbs.

• Lucy is hungry.

The subject is Lucy, the verb is is and the complement is hungry (an adjective). The complement gives us more information about Lucy.

• You are a teacher.

The subject is you, the verb is are and the complement is a teacher (a noun). The complement gives us more information about you.