The Five English Sentence Patterns: SV, SVC, SVO, SVOO, and SVOC
Language and Word Orders
Every language has its own basic sentence structure, especially in the order of the subject, verb, and object.
For example, English is known as an SVO language because its basic word order is generally subject + verb + object.
You can see this in the following sentence:
I ate an apple.
- Subject: I
- Verb: ate
- Object: an apple
As you can see, SVO is an acronym based on these sentence elements. Spanish and Chinese also generally follow this pattern. By contrast, Korean and Japanese are often described as SOV languages, in which the basic word order is subject + object + verb.
Understanding these word orders is important because it helps you distinguish grammatical sentences from ungrammatical ones.
Five Sentence Construction of English
In English, the core part of each active sentence falls into one of the following structure:
- SV (Subject-Verb)
- SVC (Subject-Verb-Complement)
- SVO (Subject-Verb-Object)
- SVOO (Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object)
- SVOC (Subject-Verb-Object-Complement)
When a sentence fits one of these patterns, it is considered grammatically complete and meaningful. Understanding these sentence patterns is especially useful for Writing Section Part 1, in which you are required to arrange words from a word bank into a logical sentence.
Among the five sentence patterns, SV and SVO are relatively straightforward and usually don’t cause much confusion. However, the other three patterns, SVC, SVOO, and SVOC, are often more difficult to understand because they involve the concept of the complement, and in some cases, the object and complement appear next to each other.
In this article, we will explore the clear distinctions among these sentence patterns. After working through each one, you will have a clearer understanding of the five basic sentence patterns in English.
SV (Subject-Verb)
This is the simplest sentence pattern in English. Once you have a subject and a verb, you already have the core of a sentence. If the subject-verb combination forms a complete sentence by itself, the sentence can be analyzed as SV. Take a look at the example below:
My dog runs in the park.
- Subject: My dog
- Verb: runs
- Prepositional phrase: in the park.
The sentence above consists of a subject, a verb, and a prepositional phrase. However, only the subject and the verb are necessary to form a complete sentence. In fact, “My dog runs” is already complete in meaning. For this reason, the sentence can be analyzed as SV.
The prepositional phrase “in the park” adds extra information, but it is not necessary to complete the sentence. In this sentence, it can be omitted without making the sentence ungrammatical.
SVC (Subject-Verb-Complement)
Simply put, the complement in an SVC sentence is a word or phrase that describes the subject’s state, identity, or condition. For this reason, both nouns and adjectives can function as complements in SVC sentences.
- When a noun is used as a complement in SVC, it typically renames or identifies the subject.
- When an adjective is used as a complement in SVC, it describes the subject’s state or condition.
One useful way to identify an SVC structure is to consider the role of the verb in the sentence. When the verb doesn’t express a clear action but instead links the subject to additional information, the sentence may involve a complement. This is because verbs commonly used in SVC and SVOC are often called linking verbs. Their main function is to connect two sentence elements: the subject and the complement in SVC, and the object and the complement in SVOC.
When a subject is followed by a verb and a complement, the sentence follows the SVC pattern. Here are some example SVC sentences.
My father is a university professor.
- Subject: My father
- Verb: is
- Complement (noun): a university professor.
Here, the verb is “is.” Rather than showing a clear action, this verb links the subject to additional information. Because of this, a complement follows the verb.
In this sentence, the complement is “a university professor.” When a noun is used as the complement in an SVC sentence, it typically identifies or renames the subject. In this example, the subject is identified as “a university professor.”
Let’s examine another sentence.
The dog seems sad.
- Subject: The dog
- Verb: seems
- Complement (adjective): sad.
In this sentence, the main verb is “seems.” This verb does not express a clear action. Instead, it links the subject to additional information. That is a useful sign that the sentence may include a complement.
In fact, the verb is followed by the adjective “sad,” which functions as the complement. When an adjective is used as a complement in an SVC sentence, it describes the subject’s state or condition. In this sentence, “sad” shows the dog’s emotional state.
SVO (Subject-Verb-Object)
Unlike a complement, an object in an SVO sentence refers to a person or thing that is directly affected by the action of the verb. Because the object receives the action, the verb in an SVO sentence is transitive. This is one of the main differences between an SVO and SVC.
Now, let’s see how an SVO sentence is structured.
I kicked the ball.
- Subject: I
- Transitive verb: kicked
- Object: the ball.
Here, you can easily picture the action of “kick.” This is different from verbs such as “is” or “seems,” which do not express a clear action in the same way. Because “kick” takes an object to complete its meaning in this sentence, it is functioning as a transitive verb.
SVOO (Subject-Verb-Indirect Object-Direct Object)
One of the trickiest sentence patterns in English is SVOO, in which two objects appear after the verb. Before discussing this pattern, it is helpful to review the two types of objects used in it:
- Indirect object: the recipient of the direct object or the person who benefits from the action
- Direct object: the thing that is given, sent, shown, or otherwise affected by the verb
In a SVOO sentence, the indirect object comes first, and the direct object comes second after the verb.
Here is an example:
My grandfather gave me his wristwatch.
- Subject: My grandfather
- Verb: gave
- Indirect object (reciever): me
- Direct object (object to be given): his wristwatch.
In this sentence, the indirect object is “me,” which shows who received something. The direct object is “his wristwatch,” which shows what was given. The order is important because it clearly shows who received what.
SVOC (Subject-Verb-Object-Complement)
Another important sentence pattern in English is SVOC, in which an object is followed by a complement. This pattern can be difficult at first because the object and the complement appear next to each other, and learners may confuse the complement with another object.
Before looking at an example, it is helpful to review the roles of the two elements that come after the verb:
- Object: the person or thing affected by the action of the verb
- Complement: a word or phrase that gives additional information about the object
In an SVOC sentence, the complement does not function as another object. Instead, it describes, identifies, or renames the object.
Here is an example:
They elected him president.
- Subject: They
- Verb: elected
- Object: him
- Complement: president
Note that this sentence is not SVOO because “president” is not something that is given, sent, shown, or otherwise affected by the verb. Rather, the noun “president” serves to rename or identify the object “him.”
In this sentence, “him” is the object, and “president” is the complement. The two words refer to the same person, which is why “president” is analyzed as a complement rather than a second object.
