COMMON PATTERN OF ENGLISH SENTENCE

A. QUESTION SENTENCES

• IIn this type of sentence, the auxiliary is placed before the subject• The auxiliary shows the form of tense

• If the sentence doesn’t have a verb, the auxiliary used is either “is”, “am”, or “are”

• If the sentence has a verb, the auxiliary used can be “do”, “does”, “did”, “will”, “shall”, “can”, “may”, “must”

1. Yes/No QuestionAuxiliary + Subject Pronoun + Verb (simple) +

Complement

Am/is/are + subject + complement + Modifier

EXAMPLES

1. Will we fast today?2. Can you give me some examples?3. Shall I give you all the books?4. May I borrow your beaker glass?5. Must I throw these away?6. Am I your supervisor?7. Are you my new assistance?8. Is he our technician?9. Did you find any difficulties during the extraction?10.Do you like to solve this sample in organic solution?11.Does she smell similar flavour before?

2. Information QuestionWho/what + Verb + Complement + Modifier

Whom/What + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Modifier

How/why/where/when + Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Complement + Modifier

EXAMPLES

1. Who made the reactor in this research?2. Who was in charge to make the reactor in this research?3. What makes you excited today?4. What do you do to extract the volatile component in the

pepper?5. Whom will you go travelling with?6. How do you extract the volatile component in the cloves?7. Why did you extract the volatile component in the

cinnamon?8. Where did you find the procedures for this extraction?9. When are you going to finish all your lab works?

3. Embedded Question

Subject + Verb (phrase) + Question Word + Subject + Verb

Auxiliary + Subject + Verb + Question word + Subject + Verb

An embedded question is not a question which needs an answer. It is only a statement that the subject of the sentence has a question that is

not answered yet.

EXAMPLES

1. I do not know yet where I am going to stay.2. She did not say when she will come back.3. We haven’t been told when we can use the instrument.4. You must understand why I am angry5. Does he know where the instruments are?6. Shall I tell what the problem is?7. Did the police tell you who the suspect was?8. Do you get what you want?

Main clause + comma + Tag question

4. Tag Question

Tag Question :

1. Use the same auxiliary verb as in the main clause2. If the main clause is affirmative, the question tag is

negative3. If the main clause is negative, the question tag is

positive

EXAMPLES

1. This is your sample, isn’t it?2. These are your samples, aren’t they?3. You have already known where to go, haven’t you?4. She did not know what to do, did she?5. He hasn’t thrown away his used solvent, has he?6. They send the letters to the office every day, don’t they?

B. AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCES

• An affirmative sentence declare something true or factual• If one subject does one thing and another subject does the

same, use the word “so” or “too”• Look at our example on how to write a sentence using

conjunction and followed by “so or too” to avoid repetition of word

Subject

To be

Adj/noun and so to be Subject

I

We

Usman

am

were

is

a lecturer

upset

here

and

and

and

so

so

so

is

were

is

she

they

his wife

Subject

To be

Adj/noun and Subject to be too

I

We

Usman

am

were

is

a lecturer

upset

here

and

and

and

she

they

his wife

is

were

is

too

too

too

1. To be as the verb

Subject

Aux verb and so to be Subject

Aisyah

We

Imam

will

have

must

cook

eaten

work

and

and

and

so

so

so

will

have

must

her husband

they

his friends

Subject

Aux verb and Subject aux too

She

We

Imam

has

will

must

gone

stay

work

and

and

and

her son

they

his friends

has

will

must

too

too

too

2. Auxiliary as the verb

Subject

verb and

so Do/does/did

Subject

Aisyah

We

I

cooks dinner

ate our dinner

work at night

and

and

and

so

so

so

does

did

do

her husband

they

my classmates

Subject

verb and Subject Do/does/did

too

She

We

Imam

cooks dinner

ate our dinner

works at night

and

and

and

her husband

they

his friends

does

did

do

too

too

too

3. Any verb except to be or auxiliary

C. NEGATION

• Similar to those rules for affirmative statements

• Use “neither” or “either” instead of “so” or “too”

Subject

To be+not

Adj/n/adv

and neither

to be Subject

I

We

Usman

am not

were not

is not

a lecturer

upset

here

and

and

and

neither

neither

neither

is

were

is

she

they

his wife

Subject

To be+not

Adj/n/adv

and Subject to be either

I

We

Usman

amnotwerenotis not

a lecturer

upset

here

and

and

and

she

they

his wife

isn’t

weren’t

isn’t

either

either

either

1. To be as the verb

Subject

Aux+not

verb and neither to be Subject

Aisyah

We

Imam

willnothavenotmust not

cook

eaten

work

and

and

and

neither

neither

neither

will

have

must

her husband

they

his friendsSubject

aux+not

verb and

Subject aux+not

either

She

We

Imam

hasn’t

won’t

must not

gone

stay

work

and

and

and

her son

they

his friends

hasn’t

won’t

mustnot

either

either

either

2. Auxiliary as the verb

Subject

verb and

neither

Do/does/did

Subject

Aisyah

We

I

doesn’t cook dinnerdidn’t eat our dinnerdon’t work at night

and

and

and

neither

neither

neither

does

did

do

her husband

they

my classmates

Subject

verb and Subject Don’t/doesn’t/didn’t

either

She

We

Imam

doesn’t cook dinnerdidn’t eat our dinnerdoesn’t work at night

and

and

and

her husband

they

his friends

doesn’t

didn’t

don’t

either

either

either

3. Negative sentences with don’t, doesn’t and didn’t

Subject

verb any

Complement (noun)

Aisyah

We

I

doesn’t have

don’t have

don’t have

any

any

any

money

food

question

Subject

verb no Complement(noun)

She

We

Imam

has

do

goes

no

no

no

money

thing (nothing)

where (nowhere)

4. Any in negative sentences

In affirmative sentences, “some” is used to replace “any”

D. COMMAND SENTENCES

• A command is a sentence that is used to give an order to someone else.

• The ending of a command can be either full stop or exclamation mark.

• A command can be preceded by “please”

1. Positive Commands

Examples:1. Please, leave me alone!2. Leave me alone, please.3. Please, help yourself.4. Help yourself, please5. Write down your answer in separate piece of paper!

2. Negative CommandsExamples:1. Please, don’t leave me alone!2. Don’t leave me alone, please.3. Please, don’t disturb the prayers by switching off

your mobile when you are in the mosque.4. Don’t start the argument here, please.5. Please, don’t ask me the answers for those question,

please!

3. Indirect CommandsExamples:1. The technician ask the students to switch off the

electricity before leaving the lab2. My mother orders my sister to wake up earlier than

usual3. The Mayor reminded the residence to save the

energy.4. The teacher told the pupils to write down an article!

4. Negative Indirect CommandsExamples:

1. The technician ask the students not to switch off the electricity before leaving the lab

2. My mother orders my sister not to wake up earlier than usual

3. The Mayor reminded the residence not to waste the energy.

4. The teacher told the pupils not to consume drug!