The basic sentence pattern

The cat [subject] sat [verb] on the mat [object].
David [subject] is studying [verb] at university [object].

These sentences are made up of basic components and extra information that makes the sentence more detailed. The basic components are:

• A subject – This refers to the topic about which the sentence is written. Sometimes this is called the theme of the sentence. In the first sample sentence we can see that the subject or theme of the sentence is The cat.  The rest of the information in the sentence should relate to that subject.
• The verb relates to the cat by explaining what the cat is doing
• The object gives extra information about the cat - in this case, about its location.

A sentence could have just a subject and a verb, for example "I ran". But this makes the sentence a very basic one indeed. Generally you need to write a combination of long and short sentences to get your points across. Although it is not necessary to have an object in every sentence, it is not advisable to write very short sentences all the time.

Sometimes a sentence may have only a verb and an object, for example: "Look at the following example". The subject ‘You' is implied and linked to the verb look. It is the reader who is being asked to look at something by the writer.

The more you get to know about how sentences work the more options you have as a writer. Test to ensure your sentences are complete by asking yourself these questions:

• Who or what is the sentence about? (checking the subject)
• What action do I need to state? (identifying the verb)
• What extra or qualifying information about the subject or context would be helpful and appropriate? (locating the object)

Below are some sample sentences indicating the basic components of a sentence.

It is helpful in formal writing to think of sentences as having basic patterns. These sentences all follow the rules of what makes a sentence but they use different patterns. When you are composing, think about what your key idea is (what you want the sentence to be about) and then the action required to support it. The more practice you have in composing sentences the more confident you will become and the more patterns you will learn. For a start, write sentences focusing on the subject first – and then add the action.