Sentence Structures

Common Sentence Patterns

Auxiliaries

Note: The most common modal auxiliary in English is the word do (does, did, doesn’t, didn’t). Other modal auxiliaries include: can, will, may, must, could, would, might, and should.

There are specific rules in syntax that govern where these modal auxiliaries should be placed in a sentence, just as there are specific rules for the placement of the subject, verb, and object in a given sentence.

Here are the basic rules for where the auxiliary usually goes in different sentences:

In Yes/No Questions: it goes at the beginning:

Do you like popcorn?
Can’t gold fish chew bread?
Would you mind saying that again?

In Statements: it goes between the subject and the verb:

I don’t think . . .
Mary can sing.

In Information questions (Who/What/Where/When/Why): it goes after the question word:

Who can sing the National Anthem?

Commands

Study hard! (Affirmative)
Don’t be late! (Negative)

Exclamations (used with What and How)

What a beautiful hat you have!
How nice of you to come!

Dummy Subjects (“Filler” or Non-referential It and There)

It’s time for a break.
There’s plenty of time for a break.
There are too many breaks.

Tag Questions (a short question added to a statement)

It’s time for a break, isn’t it?
The players didn’t complain, did they?

Compound Sentences (S+V, S+V; etc.)

Jim cooks, and Sal does the dishes.
Jim knows how to cook, but Sal doesn’t.
Jim cooks, Sal cleans up, and I watch.

Complex sentences (Clauses within S+V)

Jim, who likes to cook, isn’t here.
I’m still hungry because Jim didn’t cook.
I think that Sal should cook tonight.

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