TOEFL Writing Part 1: SVOO Sentence Construction (Intermediate)
Five Sentence Constructions
In English, every active sentence can be categorized into one of the following structures:
- SV (Subject-Verb)
- SVC (Subject-Verb-Complement)
- SVO (Subject-Verb-Object)
- SVOO (Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object)
- SVOC (Subject-Verb-Object-Complement)
You will likely have little difficulty with SV, SVO, and SVC structures because they are relatively straightforward. However, SVOO and SVOC structures can sometimes be more complex. In these patterns, the verb is followed by an object and then either another object or a complement.
Note that the structure a sentence follows is largely determined by the verb used in the clause. For example, the intransitive verb “run” typically appears in an SV structure, since it doesn’t take an object. In contrast, the transitive verb “give” can take either an SVO or an SVOO structure, depending on the speaker’s intention.
We will discuss question types involving the SVOC structure in another article. In this article, we will focus on the SVOO structure.
SVOO Sentence Structure
In an SVOO sentence, the verb is followed by two objects placed consecutively. These two objects appear without a preposition between them. The basic structure is as follows:
Rule of SVOO Construction
Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object
Let’s clarify the difference between the indirect object and the direct object.
- Indirect Object: indicates the person who receives the direct object.
- Direct Object: indicates the thing that is given, shown, sent, or otherwise affected by the verb.
Example
The teacher showed us the answer.
In this sentence, “us” is the indirect object because it refers to the people who receive something. “The answer” is the direct object because it’s the thing being shown. In other words, “us” receives “the answer.”
Strategy for SVOO Construction
When you recognize that a question involves the SVOO structure, make sure you clearly identify the indirect object (who receives something) and the direct object (what is given, shown, or sent).
Understanding this distinction will help you determine the correct word order when arranging words from the word bank.
Let’s practice this point with a few sample questions.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Explanation
In this question, the prompt already provides the subject “The coordinator” and the auxiliary verb “had.” Since the verb begins with “had,” it must be followed by a past participle, forming the past perfect tense.
Looking at the word bank, the only past participle available is “given.” Therefore, the verb phrase must be:
The coordinator had given
Next, consider the verb “give.” This verb can take either
- an SVO structure (give something), or
- an SVOO structure (give someone something).
Because the word bank contains two noun phrases that can function as objects, the sentence must follow the SVOO pattern.
Now determine which noun functions as the indirect object and which functions as the direct object. The indirect object refers to who receives something, while the direct object refers to what is received.
Among the remaining words,
- “the participants” clearly represents people who can receive something.
- “detailed instructions” represents the thing being given.
Therefore, the correct arrangement is
The coordinator had given the participants detailed instructions.
Question 2
Explanation
The prompt already provides the subject “The supervisor” and the auxiliary verb “had.” Since “had” is present, the main verb must appear in the past participle form, forming the past perfect tense.
Among the words in the word bank, “offered” is the only verb and it is already in the correct past participle form. Therefore, the structure must begin with:
had offered
Now consider the verb “offer.” This verb allows a double-object (SVOO) structure:
- offer someone something
Since the word bank contains both “employees” (people) and “a promotion” (a thing), the sentence must follow the SVOO pattern. Next, determine which noun functions as the indirect object and which as the direct object.
- The indirect object indicates who receives something.
→ “employees” clearly fits this role. - The direct object indicates what is given.
→ “a promotion” is the thing being offered.
If we reversed the order (“offered a promotion employees”), the sentence would be ungrammatical because SVOO requires the recipient to come before the thing given. Therefore, the only correct arrangement is
The supervisor had offered employees a promotion.
Subject = The supervisor
Verb = had offered
Indirect Object (who recieves) = employees
Direct Object (what) = a promotion
Question 3
Explanation
The prompt already provides the subject “The agreement.” This means the sentence must describe what the agreement did. Among the words in the word bank, “granted” is the only verb, so it must serve as the main verb in simple past tense.
Now consider the structure required by the verb “grant.” This verb allows a double-object (SVOO) construction:
grant someone something
Because no preposition such as “to” appears in the word bank, the structure must be “SVOO” rather than “SVO + prepositional phrase.”
Next, determine the two objects.
- The indirect object refers to who receives something.
→ “union employees” clearly represents the recipient.
- The direct object refers to what is given.
→ “flexible schedules” represents the thing granted.
If we reverse the order (“granted flexible schedules union employees”), the sentence becomes ungrammatical because SVOO requires the recipient to come before the thing given.
Therefore, the only grammatically correct and natural arrangement is
The agreement granted union employees flexible schedules.
Subject = The agreement
Verb = granted
Indirect Object (who recieves) = union employees
Direct Object (what) = flexible schedules
