What is the word order in an interrogative English sentence. How to build sentences in English correctly

In order to express your thoughts in English, it is not enough just to learn a list of words. These words must be placed correctly in the sentence. It is simply necessary to know the structure of the English sentence, because each member of the sentence has a specific place, and this order cannot be violated. So let's take a look at how sentences are built in English language to avoid misunderstandings and errors in speech and writing.

To build a sentence in English, you need to know its members. As in Russian, the English members of the sentence are divided into main and secondary. Let's consider each type separately:

1. The main members of the sentence are the members of the sentence, thanks to which the grammatical center is formed. In simple words, without them the sentence would not make sense. The main members are the subject and the predicate.

• The subject, as a rule, is expressed by a noun or a pronoun. The noun is used in the common case, i.e. in its standard dictionary form in singular and plural:

Note that the article may change to a definite article or not at all, depending on the subject / person implied.

If we talk about pronouns, then personal pronouns in the nominative case are usually used here. Table of all pronouns of this group:

And also some indefinite and negative pronouns, for example:

The subject usually comes at the beginning of the sentence before the predicate.

• The predicate is expressed by the verb. This part of speech is the key when making a sentence in English, because it shows at what time the action happened, is happening or will happen. There can be two verbs in the predicate:
• An auxiliary verb is a verb that is used to express time. As such, it does not have such a meaning in itself and is not translated into Russian in any way. However, his presence is necessary if the temporary form requires it. For example:

• The main or semantic verb is a verb that expresses the action performed by the subject:

1. Secondary members of the sentence - members that explain the main or other minor members. Without them, the sentence will still make sense, since the minor members are not the grammatical center of the sentence. The secondary ones are:

• A definition that answers the question "what?" and "whose?". It can be expressed in almost any part of speech. Consider only the most popular cases:
• Adjectives:

• Communion:

• Participle turnover:

• Numerals:

• Personal pronouns in the objective case:

The definition expressed participle turnover, usually comes after these sentence members:

• Indirect - an addition that answers all other case questions:

• Circumstance denotes place, cause, time, manner of action, and the like. The circumstance is related to the predicate, but it can be used both at the beginning and at the end of the sentence. The first option is perhaps less common. The circumstance most often expressed is:

adverb

or a noun with a preposition:

How sentences are built in English: the structure of an English sentence

Having studied all the members of the sentence, you can proceed to the construction of the sentences themselves in English. Building a sentence in English is quite easy because, as mentioned earlier, it is done in a fixed order. What does this mean? For example, in Russian we can freely change the order of the members of a sentence. The meaning will be preserved, because the sentence will not lose its logic. The English language is stricter. So, if a sentence begins with a subject, it cannot be rearranged with a predicate. An example for clarity:

As you can see, a whole 5 possible variants of expressing the same thought in Russian are opposed by only one phrase in English.

However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that there are 3 types of English sentences, namely affirmative, negative and interrogative. Each has its own version of the construction of the English sentence.

How to build affirmative sentences in English

Making an affirmative sentence requires direct word order. Direct order means that the subject comes first in the sentence, then the predicate, after the object and circumstance. Scheme for clarity:

Sometimes circumstance can start a sentence.

Examples:

• I forgot to do the English exercises. — I forgot to do my English exercises.
• Yesterday I bought a Lego construction set to my nephew. Yesterday I bought my nephew a Lego set.
• We'll go home after training. We will go home after practice.
• He is trying to find this spelling rule. He is trying to find this spelling rule.
• I have no idea how to learn to play the guitar. — I have no idea how to learn to play the guitar.

How negative sentences are built in English

English sentences in negation also have direct word order. The only difference is that to write a negative sentence, you must use the negative particle not (not). Such sentences always have an auxiliary verb, so the particle is placed after it.

Examples:

• I do not know how to draw up a contract. I don't know how to make a contract.
• We don't study at the university. We don't go to university.
• Jane will not be there. Jane won't be there.
• He is not working at the moment. - It's not working at the moment.
• I haven't done sport exercises today yet. I haven't done sports today yet.
• I was not aware of the situation in Paris. I didn't know about the situation in Paris.

How to write a sentence containing a question

Unlike the other two types, for interrogative sentences in English, you must use reverse order words. In the reverse order, the part of the predicate, namely the auxiliary verb, comes first, and after it comes the subject. The semantic verb and the secondary members of the sentence remain in their places. Accordingly, the use of an auxiliary verb in questions is also a necessity. Scheme:

Examples:

• Do you like this album? — Do you like this album?
• Did they go fishing the day before yesterday? Did they go fishing the day before yesterday?
• Have you been to Moscow? - Have you ever been in Moscow?
• Are you listening to me? - You are listening to me?

If sentences contain a question word, it is used at the very beginning:

But in order to make a sentence with a disjunctive question, you will have to deviate from the standard scheme. Such a question is built using an affirmative or negative sentence in the first part and short question in the second:

That's all. We hope you have learned how to write sentences in English. In fact, English sentences are like a constructor, you just have to pick up its correct parts. To consolidate the material, do exercises on the topic. And most importantly - communicate with native speakers, because no exercises will give you as much knowledge as people who speak this language.

In any language, word order in a sentence helps to express a thought logically, and also performs a grammatical and often expressive function. Knowing this, you can correctly translate someone else's speech, build your own statements, put logical stress, etc. In this article, you will learn what the word order in a sentence in English is and what it depends on.

General information

To begin with, let's get acquainted with the basic principles on which we will rely when considering this topic.

Word order in English sentence fixed. This means that each of its members is in a certain place. And if it moves, then also according to the rules.

In an affirmative statement, the subject always comes first, then the predicate. For example: She likes sandwiches. The subject can be expressed not only by a pronoun, but also by a noun, including with dependent words.

People dance in the street.

A happy boy smiled.

Note that an English sentence cannot do without a subject. It is contained even by those statements that in Russian could be called impersonal and indefinitely personal.

Hot - It's hot.

He is cold - He is cold.

Schematic image

Word order in an English sentence can be represented as such a standard scheme: subject + predicate + secondary members (what? whom? + where? where? + when?).

If you carefully consider the following examples, you will see just such a sequence. One or another minor member of the sentence may be absent, but the order is preserved.

A woman visits her mother in a hospital on Sunday.

I made a cake last night.

The men in white clothes traveled to China in August.

The word order in a sentence in English is such that the main members occupy a fixed position. Secondary ones can move, but they do it according to certain rules.

Where is the add-on

This member of the sentence can be direct and indirect. The first variety answers the questions: “What?” and "Who?". The second type of additions answers various questions: “To whom?”, “For whom?” “With whom?”, “With what?”, “About what?”, “About whom?” etc. For example, in the sentence You gave me a book the direct object is the word book, and the indirect object is me.

If there are such members, then the word order in the English sentence may change slightly. In the example above, the indirect object comes first, and then the direct object. But they can also change places if the preposition to is used. Then the sentence would look like this: You gave a book to me.

What is the position of the circumstance

This member of the sentence is quite mobile. It can have three fixed positions, depending on which question it is answering.

1. The circumstance of the place (“Where?”) Can be put either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.

In the cinema I met Jack.

I met Jack in the cinema.

2. The circumstance of time ("When?") can occupy the same two positions: the end and the beginning.

I met him yesterday.

Yesterday I met him.

3. The circumstance of the course of action (“How?”) Is usually placed after the direct object, but before the indirect one.

You play tennis very well.

She smiled happily at him.

This position is changed only in rare cases, to create an expressive effect. Then the circumstance of the mode of action is put in the first place in the sentence.

An important place in the English language is occupied by interrogative and negative sentences. They will be discussed further.

How to ask a question

Word order in English interrogative sentence has its own nuances. And it depends on the type of question: general, special, alternative, disjunctive and question to the subject. Let's dwell on each of them in more detail.

1. The question to the subject is the simplest, since the word order does not change in it. All you have to do is replace the subject with a suitable question word. For example:

He is happy - Who is happy?

They went swimming - Who went swimming?

The only tricky thing about this type of sentence is not to confuse it with a special question. After all, they are similar only at first glance.

2. The special question also uses question words. But it is given to any member of the sentence, except for the subject. And the word order in this sentence is reversed. First the predicate (more precisely, its part expressed by the auxiliary verb), then the subject.

Where do you go?

What are you doing?

3. The general question also has a reverse word order. In interrogative sentences in English, this is a fairly common occurrence. In the first place in this case are special types verbs: auxiliary (do, does, did, is, are, was, were, will, etc.) or modal (can, may, must, should, etc.)

Do you like reading?

Is this pen red?

Will he come today?

Can you run fast?

In cases where to be acts as a semantic verb, it is not required to add an auxiliary to it:

Was she at home last night?

Will you be happy?

4. An alternative question suggests a reverse word order. Starts just like general question, but a structure with the word or (or) is added at the end:

Do you like winter or summer?

5. The dividing question consists of two parts: the sentence itself (without changes) and the “tail” (translated into Russian as “isn't it?”). If the first part of the question is in the affirmative, then the second must be in the negative (and vice versa):

You live here, don't you?

He isn't your brother, is he?

Thus, it is the type of question that determines the word order in interrogative sentences. In English, each variety has its own characteristics.

There is one more type of proposals - negative. Let's see what word order they use.

How to formulate a negative

Everything is quite simple here: the negative particle not is added to the auxiliary and modal verbs already known to us. And the following forms are obtained: do not (don't), does not (doesn't), am not, is not (isn't), are not (aren't), was not (wasn't), were not (weren't), will not (won't), would not (wouldn't), cannot (can't), must not (mustn't), etc.

Word order in negative sentences is direct. An auxiliary (modal) verb with the particle not is placed before the predicate.

She isn't sad.

They can't understand.

He mustn't worry.

Many factors affect the word order in an English sentence, but it has only two varieties - direct and indirect. Each part of the proposal has its own place.

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English grammar can often seem strange. So many rules for making sentences and almost as many exceptions to those rules can drive even native speakers crazy. Although, in general, to a greater extent, English sentences are built on a similar structure. Follow our simple advice, which will surely help you put words into sentences much easier.

1. Observe the word order in the sentence. As a rule, in the case of an affirmative, this is a subject, a predicate, an object, and for an interrogative: an interrogative pronoun (who, what, why), an auxiliary verb (to be, do, have), a subject, a predicate, minor members.

• Jane crossed the street. Jane crossed the street.

Google shortcode

In this sentence, the subject is Jane, the predicate is crossed, and the object is the street. To make it easy for you to remember this simple scheme, try to make several sentences of this kind, and make one of your friends the subject, thus trying to say in English what actions he performs.

2. Members of the sentence are not always represented in one word. The subject, verb, or object is sometimes expressed in more than one word, so look at the structure of the sentence, not each word individually, if you want to find meaning.

• People who eat a lot get fatter and fatter. People who eat a lot get fatter and fatter.

In this sentence, the subject is "people who eat a lot". We call a multi-word subject a "subject phrase". Therefore, when translating sentences into Russian, try to find the subject and predicate - it will be easier to understand its meaning.

3. There are two types of additions in English. Sometimes in a sentence there are two objects at once: direct (direct), if it has a direct connection with the subject (what?), And indirect (indirect) (to whom?), if its connection with the subject is weaker.

• He bought some sweets for his children. He bought some sweets for his children.

In this sentence, “sweets” (what?) is a direct object, and “his children” (to whom?) is indirect and is usually followed by a preposition and completes the sentence.

• He bought his children some sweets.

In this sentence, direct and indirect objects are reversed. If the indirect object is used first, the preposition is no longer needed.

4. But not all proposals are so simple. As in Russian, in English there are also compound sentences (Compound sentences), consisting of two or more simple sentences, each of which is built according to the specified scheme. The sentences that make up a complex sentence are connected to each other by a union.

• I bought a dress and my friend bought a skirt. I bought a dress and my friend bought a skirt.

Here is an example complex sentence, consisting of two simple ones, each of which is built according to the scheme: subject + predicate + addition.

5. Learn the exceptions to the rules. There are many different sentence structures in which sentences are built in slightly different ways. Learn to compose not only narrative, but also interrogative, exclamatory sentences etc. - English is full of surprises and secrets, which you need to study consistently and constantly, then the desired result will be achieved.

For success in mastering the English language, it is extremely important to understand its features of the arrangement of words and their order in sentences. It probably seems to you that this is not very simple and that memorization is necessary to master their device. a large number poorly understood rules. Some theoretical knowledge is, of course, necessary, but everything can be explained in an accessible and easily understandable form. We decided to present the topic of constructing English sentences as accessible as possible and tried to make the acquaintance with this material interesting. Let's get started.

Classification of members of the proposal.

First of all, it is necessary to clarify what components a well-formed sentence consists of, that is, to clarify the question of which members of the sentence are necessary for writing or pronouncing it. As you probably guess, any of the written or spoken sentences must carry a semantic load, and in order to convey it with maximum accuracy, necessary condition the presence of main and, providing additional information, non-main members is considered. At a minimum, in a sentence written in English, two main ones, represented by the subject and the predicate, should be involved. You cannot do without these fundamental components, so you need to consider them more closely.

Members of the proposal

Subject

The subject is one of the most important components of the sentence, which, answering questions such as “who?” and “what?”, draws the main participant. This mission can be performed by pronouns or nouns, as well as proper names. One of key features English it is believed that the location of a word within a sentence determines its functional features. According to the rule, the subject is located before another main participant in the process, called the predicate.

Predicate

The predicate is another main or main member that forms the foundation and is responsible for information about the ongoing action. The questions to be answered are formulated as “what does it do?” or “what are they doing?”. This duty is entrusted to verbs. Various constructions used to show grammatical tenses may require the addition of an auxiliary verb. A simple sentence can consist of a subject and a predicate, with the latter necessarily located later than the first. To decorate the base with details, the participation of other members will be required.

Addition

An addition is a non-main member of a sentence that answers the questions of all cases except for the nominative. In sentences, they are placed after the predicate. There is an additional division: additions that answer the questions “what?” and “who?”, which corresponds to accusative, are referred to as direct, and all the rest are referred to as indirect.

Definition

Definitions are words that are placed immediately before subjects or objects and, giving answers to such types of questions as “what?” or “whose?” reveal their qualities.

Circumstance

Circumstances can find their place at the beginning and end of sentences. Sometimes they can squeeze between the main members. They tell how, why, where or when the described action happened or is happening.

For greater clarity, we illustrate everything using examples.

Examples of subjects expressed by nouns:

A snake-snakes;

A musician - musicians;

A building - buildings .

On the left are the nouns in singular, and on the right - in the plural.

It should be remembered that the presence of articles introduces some additional difficulties and indefinite article before nouns in plural it can not be.

We have already mentioned that it is expressed by a verb and can be of two types:

• Auxiliary. This part of speechused to express time.And this is very important point if necessarycomposesentences in English. Auxiliary verb toit has no such meaning in itself and cannot be translated into Russian in any way. However, his presence is necessary if the temporary form requires it.

Example:

For present simple – do / does;

Forpast perfect – had;

For Future Continuous– will be.

• main or semantic verb. With its help, the actions of the subject are indicated.

Example:

Sheruns. ​

Wewent. ​

Definition

Can be represented by the most different parts speech. Consider the most popular options:

Adjective

Nice- cute;

Brave- brave.

Participle

Sold- sold;

Crying- crying.

Participial

madeofplastic – madefrom plastic;

laughingout loud-loudlaughing.

Numerals

First- first;

Thirty- thirty.

Nouns in possessive and etc.

Nick's- Nika;

Diana's- Diana.

You are probably interestedhow to build sentences in englishwith the definition, and what place it occupies in it. This part of speech can be placed before the subject or before the object. Let's look at examples to understand the scheme of this proposal.

1. Herwavyhairissobeautiful. Her wavy hair is so beautiful.

2. Ireadagreatbook. - I read a wonderful book.

It should be noted thathow to build a sentence in english, if the definition is expressed by participial turnover. In this case, it always comes after the subject or object.

for example:

The girl speaking on stage is my sister.​

The girl on stage is my sister.

Addition

Always comes after the predicate. There are two types of supplements:

1. Direct(answering questions in the accusative case):

Isawher. ​

I saw her.

2. Indirect(other):

We are proud of you.​

We are proud of you.

In the event that both objects occur at once in the sentence, then the direct always comes first, and only after it follows the indirect.

Circumstance

It denotes a place, a time, a reason, and so on.

The circumstance is expressed:

adverb (today, slowly);

Noun with preposition (inParis, behindthescenes).

It is directly related to the predicate, but it can also be at the beginning of a sentence and at its end.

So, we have considered the components of sentences in the English language.Henceit's time to move on to the next section. It is in it that we will answer the question: “How to write English sentences correctly?". Well, let's get started.

How sentences are built in English: the structure of an English sentence

It is difficult to imagine a student who has never thought abouthow to write sentences in english. And more often than not, this thought caused a stupor. We decided to tell you a simple way to understand thathow to write sentences in english. And this means that after a while you yourself will be able to compose the text. Separately, it should be noted that at the end of the article we have prepared exercises for you to test your knowledge. After passing them, you will be able to find out for yourself whether you have mastered the material and whether you can tell,how an English sentence is constructed.And we are moving on to the basic rules.

How to write sentences in English?For, To answer this question, you should familiarize yourself with the structure of English sentences. Namely, with the order of words in them. For example, in Russian we can say the following options: I love you very much, I love you very much, I love you very much. BUTHow to writeon-Englishofferwith these words?Iloveyouverymuch. So and only so. In English, words do not change places, but always remain in a certain order. In this regard, this language is much simpler than ours. In the meantime, we have found the first answer to the questionhow to build sentences in english. And it consists in the fact that they are built according to set by the rules scheme. So it's time to study and memorize these schemes. Go.

How to write a sentence in Englishin the affirmative

We have already said that all expressions and sentences are built according to a certain pattern. Below we give an exampleEnglishhow to make an offer simple plan and affirmative form.

The default schema looks like this:

Subject + predicate + addition + circumstance

My little sister will visit me in three days.

However, sometimes the circumstance is at the beginning of the word and then the scheme looks like this:

Circumstance+ subject +predicate+ addition.

YesterdayIlearnedEnglishwords.

Below we provide examples ofhow to write a sentence in englishin affirmative form.

1. Yesterday I bought a Lego construction set to my nephew.

2. We'll go home after training.

3. He is trying to find this spelling rule.

4. I have no idea how to learn to play the guitar.

How to write a sentence in Englishin negative form

In order to turn an affirmation into a negation, it is worth using a particlenotto the auxiliary verb. By the way, the auxiliary verb is prerequisite this category of offers. In all other respects, the scheme is identical to the first option:

Subject + auxiliary verb withnot+ main verb + object + circumstance.

My little sister willnotvisit me in three days.

Or

Circumstance+ subject + auxiliary verb + main verb + object. in question form

Word order in a simple question remains the same, only the auxiliary verb comes first. Accordingly, the scheme of such a proposal:

Auxiliary verb + subject + semantic verb + object + circumstance.

Did they go fishing the day before yesterday? -They arewenton thefishingthe day before yesterday?

Many people are probably interestedhow to make a sentence in english from wordswhen, whatetc. You probably know that these words are found in a number of interrogative sentences. So, they are put in the first place, leaving the rest unchanged. As a result, we get the following options for questions:

Whatdoyouthinkaboutourpresident?

When did she move to her parents?

In the event that we are dealing with disjunctive questions, then the sentence looks like this:

They will not agree with their terms, will they?

As can be seen in this option, it is worth moving away from the usual scheme of negative sentences. Separation questions consist of an affirmation or denial in the first part and a short answer in the second.

We have considered the options for the formation of sentences in English and we hope that we have answered all your questions. As you can see, this topic turned out to be easier than you thought. And it remains for us to wish you good luck in mastering the English language and to remind you that below we have prepared exercises for you to complete on your own.

Strengthening exercises

1. Make up three affirmative proposals, in which the circumstance will come first.

_______

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Make up sentences using the following word combinations:

onSaturday night, didn't see, at the party, you, I

____________________________________________________

aletter to her parents, Ann, writes, every week

____________________________________________________

hisname, after a few minutes, I, remembered

____________________________________________________

3. Put the sentences in interrogative and negative forms:

You have brought something for us.

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

There are some tall trees in front of their house.

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

There are some good book shops in our district.

______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Greetings, dear reader.

I’m sure that if I ask you how the word order in a sentence in English differs from its Russian counterpart, then you won’t be able to really tell me. Well, maybe some of you. Therefore, today I will lay out all your knowledge on the shelves, tables and diagrams.

What is the main difference

To make everything clear, as for children, let's look at simple examples right away. Everyone starts with this, both adults in various courses, and children in grade 2.

If in Russian we can do whatever we want with a sentence, then in English this will be difficult. For example:

The cat climbed a tree.
The cat climbed up the tree.

But look what happens if we do this with the English version:

The cat broke the window. - The cat broke the window.
The window broke the cat. - The window broke the cat.

You see, the difference is significant and, to some extent, comical. And the reason is that in English the word order is solid, and oh, how involuntarily amenable to change!

How to make an offer

Standard word order simple sentence next:

1. The subject comes first.
2. It is followed by the predicate.
3. After that comes the addition.
4. And finally, circumstance.

Let's look at examples:

mother is a doctor.- Mom is a doctor.

Mother - is the subject; the one who performs the main action. It comes first.
Is - is a predicate. It always comes after the subject.
Doctor is an addition.

Let's see some more examples.

I (subject) like (predicate) coffee (addition) in the morning (circumstance). - I like coffee in the morning.

We (subject) do (predicate) the job (addition) well (circumstance). - We do a good job.

We bought a beautiful car last week . We bought a nice car last week.
I have a concert tomorrow evening - Tomorrow evening I have a concert.

And what to do with indicators of time?- you ask. To which I will answer: they can stand like at the beginning, and at the end suggestions.

I (subject) drink(predicate) coffee (addition) in the morning (time indicator). - I drink coffee in the morning.

In the morning (time indicator) I (subject) go (predicate) jogging (addition). - I go for a run in the morning.

To help you remember this rule better, I have a table for you that will help you quickly refresh your knowledge at any time.

What to do with questions

For those who are already in grade 5, the most common mistake becomes irregular shaping .(follow the link to learn more about everything)

The word order in an interrogative sentence depends on the type of sentence you are facing. If the question is general, that is, requires only a “yes” or “no” answer, then the words will go in the following order:

1. Auxiliary verb (for example, Is, Are, Do, Did, Does, Was, Were, Has, Have, Will, etc.).
2. Next comes the subject.
3. It is followed by the main verb.
4. After that, all other parts of the sentence are used.

Is (auxiliary) John (subject) a student (addition)? - Is John a student?

Do (auxiliary) you (subject) drink (main verb) water (addition) in the morning (time circumstance)? - Do you drink water in the morning?

was (auxiliary) he (subject) reading (main verb) a book (addition) last night (time circumstance)? - Did he read a book last night?

But there are also special questions in the language that need full answers. The only difference in this case is that an interrogative word also appears before the auxiliary verb ( what, when, who, whom, where, which, whose).

What (question word) were (auxiliary) you (subject) doing (main verb) lastevening (time circumstance)? - What did you do last night?

Who did you call yesterday? - Who did you call yesterday?

When did you see her for the last time? - When did you last see her?

In order to remember the information much better, here is a chart for you, which I hope will help you master the rule faster.

Well, my dears, the only thing left for me to tell you is exercises and even more English. Only with constant practice and constant improvement of the language can good results be achieved. After all, we are still at the very beginning of the path, which can become your starting point into the wonderful world of English speech.

I am sure that many of you would be interested in receiving even more useful information and topics for taking the next steps. That's why I created a subscription to my blog's newsletter, where I share the most relevant and useful information. Subscribe and improve day by day.

See you again, my dears.