Greetings, dear reader.

I'm sure that if I ask you how the word order in a sentence differs in English language from his Russian brother, then you won’t be able to really tell me. Well, maybe some of you. Therefore, today I will organize all your knowledge into shelves, tables and diagrams.

What is the main difference

To make everything clear, as for children, let’s look at it right away simple examples. Everyone starts with this, both adults in various courses and children in 2nd grade.

If in Russian we can do whatever we want with a sentence, then in English this will be difficult. For example:

The cat climbed a tree.
A cat climbed a tree.

But look what happens if we do something similar with the English version:

The cat broke the window. - The cat broke the window.
The window broke the cat. - The cat broke the window.

You see, the difference is significant and, to some extent, comical. And the reason is that in the English language the order of words is fixed, and changes are oh so involuntary!

How to write a proposal correctly

The standard word order for a simple sentence is:

1. The subject comes first.
2. It is followed by a predicate.
3. After this comes the addition.
4. And finally, the circumstance.

Let's look at examples:

Mother is a doctor.- Mom is a doctor.

Mother - this is the subject; the one who performs the main action. It comes first.
Is - this is a predicate. It always comes after the subject.
Doctor - this is an addition.

Let's look at some more examples.

I (subject) like (predicate) coffee (addition) in the morning (circumstance). - I love coffee in the morning.

We (subject) do (predicate) the job (addition) well (circumstance). - We do a good job.

We bought a beautiful car last week . - Last week we bought a beautiful car.
I have a concert tomorrow evening - Tomorrow evening I have a concert.

What to do with time indicators?- you ask. To which I will answer: they can stand like at first, so at the end offers.

I (subject) drink(predicate) coffee (addition) in the morning (time indicator). - I drink coffee in the morning.

In the morning (time indicator) I (subject) go (predicate) jogging (addition). - In the mornings I go for a run.

To help you remember this rule better, I have a table for you that will help you quickly refresh your knowledge at any time.

What to do with questions

For those who are already in 5th grade, the most common mistake incorrect formation becomes. (follow the link to find out more about everything)

The word order in a question sentence depends on the type of sentence you are faced with. If the question is general, that is, it requires only a “yes” or “no” answer, then the words will go in the following order:

1. Auxiliary verb (for example, Is, Are, Do, Did, Does, Was, Were, Has, Have, Will, etc.).
2. Next comes the subject.
3. It is followed by the main verb.
4. After which all other parts of the sentence are used.

Is (auxiliary) John (subject) a student (addition)? - Is John a student?

Do (auxiliary) you (subject) drink (main verb) water (addition) in the morning (time circumstance)? - Do you drink water in the morning?

Was (auxiliary) he (subject) reading (main verb) a book (addition) last evening (time circumstance)? - Did he read a book last night?

But there are also special questions in the language that require complete answers. The only difference in this case is that a question word also appears before the auxiliary verb ( what, when, who, whom, where, which, whose).

What (question word) were (auxiliary) you (subject) doing (main verb) lastevening (time circumstance)? - What did you do last night?

Who did you call yesterday? - Who did you call yesterday?

When did you see her for the last time? - When was the last time you saw her?

To remember the information much better, here is a diagram for you that I hope will help you master the rule faster.

Well, my dears, the only thing I have left to tell you is exercises and even more English. Only with constant practice and constant improvement of the language can you achieve good results. After all, we are still at the very beginning of the journey, which can become your starting point into a wonderful world English speech.

I am sure that many of you would be interested in receiving even more useful information and topics for taking next steps. That's why I created a subscription to my blog's newsletter, where I share the most relevant and useful information. Subscribe and improve day by day.

Until we meet again, my dears.

Knowing how sentences are constructed in English is a fundamental key to speaking English correctly. Having well understood the principles of constructing English sentences of different types, you can easily operate at different times, ask questions correctly, speak English faster.

Strict word order in an English sentence

The construction of sentences in English requires clarification due to the dissimilarity of the syntax of English and Russian languages. For example, The boy was picking berries all day. can be translated in ten ways:

1. The boy picked berries all day
2. The boy picked berries all day
3. The boy spent the whole day picking berries
4. The boy picked berries all day
5. The boy spent the whole day picking berries
6. The boy picked berries all day
7. The boy picked berries all day
8. The boy picked berries all day
9. The boy picked berries all day
10. The boy picked berries all day

In English this will be only one option, where the word order is strictly defined - the subject is followed by the predicate, then the object and adverbial. On the one hand, it seems that such a limitation is annoying, but practice shows: the less room for maneuver, the less chance of error. In the end, constructing sentences in foreign speech according to a strictly defined scheme turns out to be easier than literally conveying ornate Russian thoughts.

The outline of a typical affirmative English sentence looks like this:

Exception for circumstance

There is one exception to the rule “subject, predicate, and then everything else” - this is a circumstance. In English it can appear in sentences in four different positions:

Before the subject - adverbial tense

Last night she left for Beijing - Last night she left for Beijing.

Between subject and predicate - adverbial frequency of action

Marcus rarely eats spinach - Marcus rarely eats spinach.

Between the auxiliary and main verb of the predicate - adverbs of image or time of action (adverbs)

Grant has never been to Penza - Grant has never been to Penza.

And according to the traditional scheme - after the addition, at the end of the sentence.

Flora broke the agreement at once - Flora immediately broke the agreement.

Construction of negative sentences in English

The word order in negative sentences in English differs from affirmative ones only by the particle NOT. The composition of the predicate in a negative sentence has the form "auxiliary verb + NOT + main verb".

Belinda did not show her impatience - Belinda did not show her impatience.

Construction of interrogative sentences in English

General issues

General questions (requiring a yes or no answer) in English always begin with an auxiliary verb. After it, the word order of the affirmative sentence is preserved.

Did the pupils stand still? - Did the students stand calmly?

Special questions

Special questions are clarifying in nature and begin with special “question words.” After such a word in a special question we put an auxiliary verb, and then return to affirmative order words

Why did the pupils stand still? - Why did the students stand calmly?

Stylistic inversion in English.

The order of words in a sentence in English can change when a special stylistic device is used - inversion (reverse word order). Mainly artistic technique, which serves to emotionally highlight some expression or thought.

And came empty days full of misery and despair. - And empty days came, full of suffering and despair.

Training and control.

Despite the fact that there is nothing complicated in the scheme of an English sentence, it is not so easy to introduce this very scheme into the Russian consciousness. We are used to being free with words. After all, thanks to endings, the order of words in a Russian sentence is not important.

When we learn to speak English, we automatically put English words in place of Russian ones, often completely distorting the meaning of what we want to say.

To develop automation correct order words in a sentence in English, you need to build a thought over and over again according to the desired pattern. It is difficult to do this on your own. The lessons of the Lim-English training site are designed in such a way that the Russian and English versions of the sentences in them are almost word for word the same. By completing tasks on the site, you will not only understand how a sentence is constructed in English, but will also imperceptibly bring the skill of correct English speech to automatism. By the way, you can also find a rather rare phenomenon of stylistic inversion in Lim-English in beautiful English fairy tales.

Correct construction of sentences in English is impossible without knowledge of the basic laws of the formation of their structure. So, in the Russian language, to describe a situation, it is enough to take the words involved in it (names of concepts, objects, etc.) and connect them together using endings formed by declension in cases and numbers. However, the English language is devoid of such endings, and therefore a correct description of the situation can only be achieved if words are arranged in a certain way in sentences.

Simple sentences and their classification

Simple English sentences are divided into two types - common and common. The first ones consist only of a subject and a predicate. In this case, it is important that the subject is in first place and the predicate in second. For example: “The bus stopped.”

The second type of simple sentences, in addition to the main members, involves the inclusion of secondary ones (addition, definition, circumstance). Constructing sentences in English using minor members allows you to clarify the main situation. For example: “The yellow bus stopped at the station.” In this case, the first minor member of the sentence (yellow) acts as a definition and explains the subject (the bus), and the second is an adverbial circumstance (at the station) and refers to the predicate (stopped).

construction scheme

As mentioned above, endings in English words remain unchanged, therefore each word must be in the strictly designated place for it (this is called direct word order). Otherwise, the essence of the sentence will be distorted, and the person who reads it will receive incorrect, sometimes even opposite, information. And if in Russian we can say: “I went to the cinema yesterday,” “I went to the cinema yesterday,” or “Yesterday I went to the cinema,” then the existing sentence patterns in English do not allow this.

Whereas in Russian the essence of the situation will be clear, even if the words are swapped, in English everything is different. For example, regardless of whether we say in Russian “Jack hit Jim” or “Jim hit Jack,” the information will be received correctly. But in English, two sentences such as “Jack hit Jim” and “Jim hit Jack” have the opposite meaning. The first translates to "Jack hit Jim" and the second to "Jim hit Jack." To avoid such misunderstandings, it is necessary to construct sentences in English according to the following scheme: put the subject in first place, the predicate in second, the complement in third, and the adverbial in fourth. For example: “We do our work with pleasure.” It is also acceptable to place adverbs of place and time before the subject, for example: “At the moment I am cooking dinner.”

Negative sentences with not

Negative sentences in English have the following structure:

1. Subject.
2. The beginning of the predicate.
3. Negative particle not.
4. The ending of the predicate.
5. The nominal part of the predicate.

Examples include the following negative sentences in English: “I'm not reading the book” or “I have not seen Kelly in a while.” I haven't seen Kelly in a while."

If negative sentences use verbs in Present Simple or Past Simple, then they are reduced to the form “do/does/did + main form”. For example, “I do not like mice,” “She does not need help,” or “Steven did not look tired.”

Negative sentences using negative words

In English, negative type can be expressed not only using the particle not, but also in another way. It's about about constructing a construction containing negative words, which include the following: nobody (nobody), never (never), nothing (nothing), none (nothing), nowhere (nowhere).

For example: “Nobody wanted to bring chair.” It is worth noting that in English one sentence cannot contain both the particle not and a negative word. Thus, the phrase “I know nothing” is translated into English as “I know nothing” and in no case “I do not know nothing.”

Interrogative sentences

Interrogative sentences can be presented in the form of general and special questions. So, general issues assume a yes/no answer. For example: “Did you like the book?” (“Did you like the book?”) or “Have you ever been in the Paris?” (“Have you ever been to Paris?”). As for special questions, it may be necessary to compose sentences in English of this type when it is necessary to obtain more specific information on asked question- color, time, name, object, distance, etc. For example: “What is your favorite movie?” (“What’s your favorite movie?”) or “How long is the flight to Prague?” (“How long is the flight to Prague?”).

In the case of expressing the predicate with the verb to have or to be, general questions are constructed as follows: first the predicate, and then the subject. In the case when the predicate includes a modal or it is placed before the subject. In the case of expressing the predicate with a verb in the Present or Past Simple, you must use do/does or did.

As for the word order in constructing a special question, it is the same as in general, except that at the beginning of the sentence there must be a question word: who (who), when (when), what (what), how long ( how long), where (where), how (how).

Imperative sentences

When considering the types of sentences in English, one cannot fail to mention imperative sentences. They are necessary to express a request, encouragement to take some action, command, as well as a prohibition when it comes to the negative form.

An imperative sentence assumes a direct word order, but the verb is placed first: “Give me my pen, please” (“Give me my pen, please”). In some cases, this construction may consist of only one verb: “Run!” (Run!). Wanting to soften an order or turn it into a request, the speaker can use would you, will you or won’t you, placing them at the end of the sentence.

Exclamatory sentences

The construction of sentences in English of the exclamatory type is carried out according to the same scheme as the usual one, however, they should be pronounced emotionally, and on the letter at the end of such a construction it is always written. For example, “You are very beautiful!” (“You are very beautiful!”) or “I’m so happy!” ("I'm so happy!").

In the case when an exclamatory sentence requires additional reinforcement, you can use question words what and how. For example, “What a big house it is!” (“What a big house!”), “What a sad movie!” (“What a sad movie!”) or “How well Matt can dance!” (“Matt dances so well!”). It is worth noting that if the subject is used in singular The indefinite article a or an is required.

Complex sentences: definition and classification

In addition to simple sentences, there are also complex ones, which are formed by combining the first ones. Complex and complex sentences are types of sentences in English that have a complex structure. The difference between them is that the former are a construction consisting of two independent simple sentences, while the latter are a main clause and one or more dependent clauses.

Compound sentences are built using words such as and, or, but, for, yet. As for unions that are used for formation, they are divided into the following groups:

• causes/effects: since (since), because (because), therefore (for this reason, therefore), so (therefore, so);
• time: before (before, before), while (while), after (after), when (when);
• others: although (despite the fact that), if (if), though (though), unless (if only).

In all simple sentences, of which complex ones are composed, a direct order must be maintained. There are a huge number of sentences in the English language, but regardless of their type, the basic rule of construction must be observed.

Types of Conditional Sentences

In English they are used to describe a situation with various characteristics. They can take different forms, but in most cases the following construction is used: “If Condition, (then) Statement.” For example, “If it is warm, many people prefer to go to the park” (“If it is warm, many people prefer to go to the park”), “If you buy this dress, I will give you free gloves” (“If you buy this dress, I'll give you free gloves").

Conditional sentences in English are divided into three types. The first is used to denote real, feasible conditions relating to any of the times (future, present, past). To construct such a construction, a verb is used in its main sentence future form, and in the subordinate clause - in the present one.

The second describes unrealistic conditions that relate to the future or present. To create such a sentence, the main part of it uses verb should or would and the verb in the base form without the particle to, and in the subordinate form - were for the verb to be or the Past Simple form for all the rest.

And the third covers unfulfilled conditions in the past. main part sentences are constructed using the verb should/would and a verb in the present tense, and the subordinate clause is built using a verb in Past form Perfect.

Word order in English differs significantly from our word order. In the Russian language, due to the presence of many endings, the order of words does not matter much, the meaning will be the same, you can only focus the interlocutor’s attention on a certain fact. For example:

A kitten ran into me yesterday afternoon
A kitten ran into me yesterday afternoon
Yesterday afternoon a kitten ran into me

We are accustomed to such freedom of speech and transfer it to the English language. However, in English this is done completely prohibited, everyone must stand in their place. Changing the word order usually completely changes the meaning of the sentence:

Anya hit Dima
Anya hit Dima

Dima hit Anya
Dima hit Anya

The main feature of sentences in English is the fixed word order. No matter how we would like to express our thoughts, we must always adhere to the following word order scheme in an English sentence:

1. (or just a verb).
2. – is located after the predicate, there may be several.
3. – can come at the beginning before the subject or at the very end.
4. – can be in any part of a sentence, thereby making it difficult to understand.

To make it clearer and clearer, this diagram can be represented as follows:

This diagram may seem incomprehensible to you, but it’s all simple:
Subject- subject and predicate(verb) - predicate(verb) are the basis of the English sentence, they are present in 99 percent of phrases, we can say that it is " backbone" of any sentence. Also after the predicate it can go addition- object. Therefore, if a sentence consists of three words and is not connected by any, then we can say with confidence that the first word is the subject, the second is the predicate, and the third is the complement. To make it clearer, look at the examples and the 2-minute video below:

We (subject) do (predicate) our work (object)
We do our job

They faced problems
They faced (many) problems

If you liked the video tutorial, subscribe to the channel this author - .

After this, looking at the diagram again, it should be clear that circumstance can be at the beginning of a sentence or at the end (less often in the middle):

We do our work with pleasure
We do our work with pleasure

At the moment I cannot talk
At present I can not talk

WITH definition the situation is a little more complicated; more precisely, it complicates the definition of the members of the sentence. A definition can appear in any part of a sentence and usually comes before or after the word being defined (usually a noun).

What else do you need to know so as not to get confused?

As always in the English language, there are exceptions to everything and everywhere. Here are the main exceptions you may encounter:

• Formation of the interrogative form

Forming a question slightly disrupts the usual sentence structure, but there is nothing complicated here; as a rule, the temporary auxiliary verb is placed at the very beginning of the sentence. Look for yourself, in general the scheme of the proposal is the same:

I am an engineer
I am an engineer
Am I'm an engineer?
I am an engineer?

I can speak English
I speak English/I can speak English
Can I speak English
I speak English? /I can speak English?

• Improving sentence rhythm

This usually occurs in songs. You could even say that many of the songs are written grammatically incorrectly. The performer’s goal is usually to “get into” the rhythm and convey the meaning, sometimes the same applies to poetry and fairy tales (not adapted).

The main thing you need to remember is that changing the location of words in an English sentence leads to a change in its meaning. All this is, of course, theory and it may seem complicated, but after a little practice and studying the simplest tense forms of the English language, the correct construction of sentences will begin to be achieved on an intuitive level.

In Russian, we can construct a sentence however we want. We can say: “I bought a dress yesterday,” or “I bought a dress yesterday,” or “I bought a dress yesterday,” etc.

In English, the order of words in a sentence is fixed. This means that we cannot rearrange the words as we please. They must stand in their specific places.

It is difficult for beginners to learn English to understand and get used to this.

Therefore, many people often construct English sentences using word order as in Russian. Because of this, it is difficult for the interlocutor to understand the idea you want to convey.

In this article I will explain to you how to construct sentences correctly in English, so that you can compose them correctly, and any foreigner can easily understand you.

From the article you will learn:

What is fixed word order in a sentence?

Offer- a combination of words expressing a complete thought.

As I said, in Russian we can rearrange words in a sentence the way we want.

For example:

We'll go to the cinema.

We'll go to the cinema.

Let's go to the cinema.

As you can see, we can rearrange the words in a sentence, and this will not prevent the other person from understanding the idea that we want to convey to him.

In English, word order is fixed.

Fixed- fixed in a certain position.

This means that the words in a sentence have their own places and cannot be rearranged.

Right:

We will go to the cinema.
We'll go to the cinema.

Wrong:

To the cinema we will go.

If and the word order in the English sentence is incorrect, then it will be difficult for the interlocutor to understand what idea you want to convey to him.

Let's take a closer look at how to correctly construct all types of sentences in English.

Attention: Confused about English rules? Find out how to easily understand English grammar.

Word order in an affirmative English sentence

Affirmative sentences- This sentences where we affirm some thought. Such sentences do not contain a negation and do not imply an answer.

We can say that something:

• Happens in the present (We are building a house)
• Will take place in the future (We will build a house)
• Happened in the past (We built a house)

In English, in affirmative sentences it is used direct word order.

Direct word order means that the 1st and 2nd places in a sentence are always occupied by certain words.

Let's take a closer look at this scheme for constructing affirmative sentences.

1st place - main character

Actor (subject)- the person/thing that performs the action in a sentence.

It could be:

• The object or person itself: mother (mother), Mary (Mary), cup (cup), chairs (chairs), etc.
• A word that replaces an object or person (pronoun): I (I), you (you), we (we), they (they), he (he), she (she), it (it)

For example:

Tom...
Volume....

She….
She....

2nd place - action

Action (predicate)- shows what happened, is happening or will happen.

That is, the action itself (verb) can stand:

1. In the present tense: study (studying), work (working), sleep (sleeping), eat (eating)

2. In the past tense, which is formed using:

• adding the ending -ed to correct verbs: studied (studied), worked (worked)
• 2nd/3rd form irregular verbs: slept/slept (slept), ate/eaten (ate)

We can look up whether the verb is correct or incorrect in the dictionary.

3. In the future tense, which is usually formed using an auxiliary verb will: will study (I will study), will work (I will work), will sleep (I will sleep).

For example:

We travel.
We are travelling.

Tom left.
Tom left.

She will work.
She will work

Important nuance

It is worth remembering one important nuance. There are sentences in the Russian language in which we omit the action.

For example:

She is a teacher.

Children in the park.

Tom is smart.

IN English sentences the action must always be present, we cannot omit it. This is a very common mistake among students.

In such cases we use verb to be. This is a special kind of verb that we use when we say that someone:

• Located somewhere (Children in the park)
• Is someone (She's a teacher)
• Is somehow (Tom is smart)

Depending on the tense in which we use this verb, it changes its form:

• In the present tense - am, are, is
• In the past tense - was, were
• In the future tense - will be

For example:

She is a doctor.
She is a doctor. (Literally: She is a doctor)

Children are clever.
Children are smart. (Literally: Children are smart)

I am at home.
I'm home. (Literally: I'm at home)

Read more about the verb to be in each tense in the following articles:

• Verb to be in the present tense
• Verb to be in past tense

So, direct word order means that certain words are in 1st and 2nd place.

Let's see what it looks like again.

Now let's look at how to construct negative sentences.

Word order in a negative English sentence

Negative sentences- when we deny something. That is, we say that something:

• Not happening (It's not working)
• Didn't happen (She didn't work)
• Won't happen (It won't work)

In Russian, to form a negation, we put the particle “not” before the action: Not I'm coming, Not I will read, Not bought.

In English, to form a negative, we use the particle “not” and an auxiliary verb. See how our word order changes:

Let's look at this scheme in detail.

1st place - incumbent

Negative sentences also use direct word order, so the actor comes first.

2nd place - auxiliary verb + not

Auxiliary verbs- these are words that are not translated, but only serve as pointers.

They help us determine:

• Time of what is happening (present, future, past);
• Quantity characters(many or one).

Read more about auxiliary verbs in this article.

Each tense in English has its own auxiliary verb (do/does, have/has, did, had, will). Let's look at the auxiliary verbs of the three most commonly used tenses.

1. Present Simple Tense:

• does, when we talk about someone in the singular (he, she, it)
• do, for all other cases (I, you, we, they)

2. Past Simple Tense: did

3. Future Simple Tense: will

To show negation we add the particle not to our auxiliary verb or the verb to be: does not, do not, did not, will not.

3rd place - action

After the auxiliary verb with the particle not we put the action, which is now negative.

For example:

He does not work.
He does not work.

They will not buy.
They won't buy.

Remember: When we say that we did not do something in the past and use the auxiliary verb did, we no longer put the action itself in the past tense.

Since the auxiliary verb already shows us that it happened in the past.

Wrong:

We didn't work ed.
We didn't work.

Right:

We didn't work.
We didn't work.

So let's take another look at negative sentence construction.

Negative sentences with the verb to be

If a sentence uses the verb to be, then we simply put not after it.

Let's look at the sign.

Now let's look at the last type of sentence - questions.

Word order in an English interrogative sentence

Interrogative sentences- These are sentences expressing a question and suggesting an answer to it. For example: Are you working?

In Russian, affirmative and interrogative sentences differ only:

• intonation (in oral speech)
• sign "?" at the end of a sentence (in writing)

In English, a statement and a question look different. Unlike statements, interrogative sentences have reverse word order.

Reverse word order means that the main character will not come first.

Let's take a closer look at how to construct such sentences.

1st place - auxiliary verb

To make a sentence interrogative, you need to put the auxiliary verb first in the sentence. I talked about them Auxiliary verb