Word order

Most English sentences (clauses) conform to the SVO word order. This means that the
Subject comes before the Verb, which comes before the Object. Examples:

I (S) bought (V) a new computer (O).

She (S) doesn't like (V) dogs (O).
Why did you (S) do (V) that (O)?

It is more complicated when an indirect object (I) is added to the sentence. In this case the
word order depends a.) on whether the direct and indirect objects are nouns or pronouns,
and b.) on whether the indirect object is preceded by the word to. Here are the basic rules:
SVOI
Indirect object with to:
Two nouns
Two pronouns
Pronoun object/noun indirect object

I showed the computer to my friends.

I showed it to them.
I showed it to my friends.
She gave the present to her mother.
She gave it to her.
She gave it to her mother.

Indirect object without to:

Two nouns
Two pronouns
Noun object/pronoun indirect object

I showed my friends the computer.

I showed them it.
I showed them the computer
She gave her mother the present.
She gave her it.
She gave her the present.

SVI0

Many English sentences also contain adverbials. The problem for the English learner is that
some adverbials can be located in different places within the sentence, while other
adverbials must appear in one place only. For example, it is correct to say both: I very
quickly did my homework .. and I did my homework very quickly .., but only I did my
homework in a hurry .. is possible. I in a hurry did my homework .. is wrong.

Note: In the examples below, parts of the sentence are colour-coded: subjects in red, verbs
in blue, direct objects in brown, etc.
1.1 In a normal (declarative) sentence, the subject of a sentence comes directly in front
of the verb. The direct object (when there is one) comes directly after it:
Examples:
The
People
who
The president laughed.

live

man
in

wrote
glasshouses

a
shouldn't

throw

letter.
stones.

 1.2. Note that by the subject, we mean not just a single word, but the subject noun or
pronoun plus adjectives or descriptive phrases that go with it. The rest of the sentence - i.e.
the part that is not the subject - is called the predicate.
Examples:
People
who
live
in
glasshouses
I like
playing
football
with
my
The child who had been sleeping all day woke up.

shouldn't
throw
friends
in
the

stones.
park.

1.3. If a sentence has any other parts to it - indirect objects, adverbs or adverb
phrases - these usually come in specific places:
1.3.1 The position of the indirect object
The indirect object follows the direct object when it is formed with the preposition to:
The indirect object comes in front of the direct object if to is omitted
Examples:
The
doctor
gave
some
or: The doctor gave the child some medicine.

medicine

to

the

child.

1.3.2. The position of adverbs or adverb phrases

Adverbs (single words) and adverb phrases (groups of words, usually formed starting with
a
preposition)
can
come
in
three
possible
places:
a) Before the subject (Notably with short common adverbs or adverb phrases, or
sentence adverbs - see below )
Examples:
Yesterday
the
man
At
the
end
of
Marchthe
Obviously the man has written a letter.

wrote
weather
was

a
rather

letter.
cold.

b1) After the object (virtually any adverb or adverb phrase can be placed here)
Example:
The man wrote a letter on his computer in the train.
b2) or with intransitive verbs after the verb.
Example:
The child was sleeping on a chair in the kitchen.
c) In the middle of the verb group. (Notably with short common adverbs of time or
frequency)

Examples:
The
man
has
already
written
his
The new version of the book will completely replace the
You can sometimes get real bargains in this shop.

old

letter.
one.

1.3.3. Word order with "sentence adverbs"

Sentence adverbs (like perhaps, surely, indeed, naturally, also .... ) relate to a whole clause
or sentence, not just a single word. In most cases, they stand outside the clause they refer
to, notably at the start of the clause. However, they may be placed elsewhere in the clause
for reasons of stress or emphasis.
Examples
Surely the
man
has
already
written
his
Perhapsthe
man
has
already
written
his
The
man
has perhaps
already
written
his
...,
therefore
the
man
had
already
written
his
Naturallythe
man
grew
vegetables in
his
Contrast
this
The
man
grew
vegetables
naturally
in
his
which has a quite different meaning.

letter.
letter.
letter
letter.
garden.
with:
garden.

For more details, see sentence adverbs.

1.4 In standard English, nothing usually comes between the subject and the verb, or
between
the
verb
and
the
object.
There are a few exceptions. The most important of these are adverbs of frequency and
indirect
objects
without
to.
(Examples
1
and
2)
However, with adverbs of frequency, it is more normal to place them in the middle of the
verb group (Example 3)
Examples:
1.

The man often wrote his mother a letter.

2.

I sometimes have given my dog a bone.

3.

I have sometimes given my dog a bone.

If you always apply these few simple rules, you will not make too many word order
mistakes in English. The examples above are deliberately simple - but the rules can be
applied even to complex sentences, with subordinate and coordinated clauses.
Example:
The director, [who often told his staff (to work harder),] never left the office before (he had
checked his email.)

2
Exceptions
Of course, there are exceptions to many rules, and writers and speakers sometimes use

different or unusual word order for special effects. But if we concentrate on the exceptions,
we may forget the main principles, and the question of word order may start to seem very
complex!
So here are just a few examples: you should realise that they exist, but not try to use
them unless either they are essential in the context, or else you have fully mastered normal
word order patterns. (Don't try to run before you can walk!)
A few examples:

Never before had I seen such a magnificent exhibition.

(After never or never before, subject and verb can be - and usually are - inverted.
Do not invert when never follows the subject !).

Hardly had I left the house, than it started to rain.

(When a sentence starts with hardly, subject and verb must be inverted.).

Had I known, I'd never have gone there.

(Inversion occurs in unfulfilled hypothetical conditional structures when if is
omitted.. See the page on conditional clauses for more details)

The book that you gave me I'd read already.

(Emphasising a long object; in this eampleThe book that you gave me, is placed at
the start of the sentence for reasons of style: this unusual sentence structure is not
necessary, just stylistic).

Subject, verb, direct object, object complement

Subject, verb, indirect object, direct object

The chapter reports the following example for the patterns:

Alice called Charles Professor Miller.
Alice gave Charles the rabbit.

Sentence Structure
Simple sentences:
A simple sentence has only one clause:
The children were laughing.
John wanted a new bicycle.
All the girls are learning English.

Compound sentences:
A compound sentence has two or more clauses:
(We stayed behind) and (finished the job)
(We stayed behind) and (finished the job), then (we went home)
The clauses in a compound sentence are joined by co-ordinating conjunctions:
John shouted and everybody waved.
We looked everywhere but we couldnt find him.
They are coming by car so they should be here soon.
The common coordinating conjunctions are:
and but or nor so then yet
Complex sentences:
A complex sentence has a main clause and one or more adverbial clauses. Adverbial
clauses usually come after the main clause:
Her father died when she was very young
>>>
Her father died (main clause)
when (subordinating conjunction)
she was very young (adverbial clause)
She had a difficult childhood because her father died when she was very young.
>>>
She had a difficult childhood (main clause)
because (subordinating conjunction)
her father died (adverbial clause)
when (subordinating conjunction)
she was very young (adverbial clause).
Some subordinate clauses can come in front of the main clause:
Although a few snakes are dangerous most of them are quite harmless
>>>
Although (subordinating conjunction)

some snakes are dangerous (adverbial clause)

most of them are harmless (main clause).
A sentence can contain both subordinate and coordinate clauses:
Although she has always lived in France, she speaks fluent English because her
mother was American and her father was Nigerian
>>>
Although (subordinating conjunction)
she has always lived in France (adverbial clause),
she speaks fluent English (main clause)
because (subordinating conjunction)
her mother was American (adverbial clause)
and (coordinating conjunction)
her father was Nigerian (adverbial clause).
There are seven types of adverbial clauses:

Common conjunctions

Contrast clauses

although; though; even though; while;

Reason clauses

because; since; as

Place clauses

where; wherever; everywhere

Purpose clauses

so that; so; because + want

Result clauses

so that; so that; such that

Time clauses

when; before; after; since; while; as; as soon as; by the time; until

Common conjunctions

Conditional clauses

if; unless; provided (that); as long as