TOEFL Writing Part 1: SVOC Sentence Structure (Intermediate)
Grammatical Structures in Writing Part 1
In the new TOEFL Writing Section Part 1, you are asked to arrange words from a word bank to create a complete and grammatical sentence. As the questions become more challenging, the sentence patterns also become more complex. In particular, the later questions often test your understanding of specific grammatical structures.
In this article, we will focus on how to recognize and understand the SVOC sentence pattern.
SVOC Sentence Structure
Before discussing the structure of SVOC, let us first review what the complement means in this sentence pattern.
- Complement in SVOC: a word or phrase that gives more information about the object. It may rename the object, identify it, or describe its condition. In SVOC sentences, the complement is usually a noun or an adjective.
In short, the complement in SVOC explains or describes the object that appears before it.
SVOC Construction
Subject + Verb + Object + Complement
Two Types of Complements: Nouns and Adjectives
Depending on whether the complement is a noun or an adjective, its role in the sentence changes.
- A noun used as a complement typically renames or identifies the object.
- An adjective used as a complement typically describes the object’s state or condition.
Understanding this distinction between noun complements and adjective complements is important because it affects the relationship between the object and the complement.
When a noun is used as a complement, the object and complement usually refer to the same person or thing because the complement renames or identifies the object.
However, when an adjective is used as a complement, the complement describes the object’s state or condition rather than renaming it.
Common Verbs That Can Take the SVOC Structure
Note that not all verbs can take the SVOC structure. In fact, only certain types of verbs can be used in SVOC sentences. The following list shows some common verbs that can be used in this pattern:
- make
- keep
- leave
- call
- name
- appoint
- find
- feel
Before we practicing TOEFL Writing Part 1 questions, why don’t we review some example SVOC sentences.
Examples of SVOC Structure
They elected her president.
- Subject: They
- Verb: elected
- Object: her
- Complement: president
In this sentence, her is the object because it refers to the person affected by the action of electing. The noun “president” is the complement because it doesn’t refer to a separate thing. Instead, it identifies the new role or position of her. This means that her and president refer to the same person. For that reason, the sentence follows the SVOC pattern: Subject + Verb + Object + Complement.
The joke made everyone silent.
- Subject: The joke
- Verb: made
- Object: everyone
- Complement: silent
Here, everyone is the object because it refers to the people affected by the joke. The adjective “silent” is the complement because it describes the condition that the object came to be in. Unlike a second object, silent doesn’t name a thing. Instead, it shows the result of the action on everyone. This is why the sentence is analyzed as SVOC rather than SVOO.
Now it’s your turn. Try the following TOEFL Writing Part 1 questions and test your understanding of the SVOC sentence structure.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Explanation
A good way to solve this question is to identify the verb first.
Among the words in the word bank, “left” is the only finite verb, so it must be the main verb of the sentence.
Next, determine the subject. The only words that can form a natural subject are “the” and “storm.” This gives us:
The storm left
Now look at the remaining words:
- the shoreline
- deserted
The verb “leave” can take the SVOC pattern:
- leave + object + complement
In this structure, the object is the person or thing affected by the action, and the complement describes the resulting state of that object.
Here, “the shoreline” is the object because it is the place affected by the storm. The word “deserted” describes the condition of the shoreline after the storm, so it functions as the object complement.
Putting these parts together gives:
The storm left the shoreline deserted.
- S = The storm
- V = left
- O = the shoreline
- C = deserted
Question 2
Explanation
A practical way to solve this question is to begin with the verb. Among the words in the word bank, “made” is the only finite verb, so it must be the main verb of the sentence.
Next, determine the subject. The words “the” and “delay” combine naturally to form:
the delay
This gives us the basic frame:
The delay made
Now look at the remaining words:
- the passengers
- restless
The verb “make” can take an SVOC structure:
- make + object + complement
That means the verb is followed by
- an object, showing who is affected
- a complement, showing the resulting state of that object
Here, “the passengers” must be the object because they are the people affected by the delay.
This leaves “restless” as the complement. It’s important to notice that the complement here is an adjective, not a noun. In SVOC sentences, the complement often appears as an adjective describing the condition or state of the object. In this sentence, “restless” describes how the passengers felt as a result of the delay.
So the correct sentence is
The delay made the passengers restless.
- S = The delay
- V = made
- O = the passengers
- C = restless
Question 3
Explanation
A good way to approach this question is to identify the verb first. Among the words in the word bank, “left” is the only finite verb, so it must be the main verb of the sentence.
Next, determine the subject. The words “the” and “blizzard” form the only natural subject:
the blizzard
This gives the basic structure:
The blizzard left
Now look at the remaining words:
- the mountain road
- impassable
The verb “leave” can take the SVOC pattern:
- leave + object + complement
So after the verb, we need
- an object, showing what was affected
- a complement, showing the resulting condition of that object
Here, “the mountain road” is the object because it is the thing affected by the blizzard.
That leaves “impassable” as the complement. It is important to notice that “impassable” is an adjective, not a noun. In an SVOC sentence, the complement often appears as an adjective describing the state of the object after the action. Here, “impassable” describes the condition of “the mountain road.”
So the correct sentence is
The blizzard left the mountain road impassable.
- S = The blizzard
- V = left
- O = the mountain road
- C = impassable
