Unit 4: Clause structure and
punctuation
Reviewed
✦ Clause structure − introduction
Linking verbs are verbs that link the subject to something that tells us more
about the subject of the clause:
1. This car is really expensive.
2. Youth unemployment is a really difficult problem.
3. Maria feels awful.
4. Shannon has become a doctor.
5. She was late again.
The verbs link the subject of the clause with some information about that
subject. Linking verbs are also referred to as copula verbs.
There is one type of clause or sentence in English called an imperative. We
use the imperative form when we give instructions or orders:
Shut up
Sit down
Take a seat
In the imperative form, there is no subject, we just use the verb.
Unit 4: Clause structure and punctuation 1
, ✦ T ransitive verbs and intransitive verbs
English sentences can consist of just S+V – a subject and a verb:
I got up.
They've gone.
The sun rose.
Verbs which do not take an object are called intransitive verbs and verbs
which are followed by an object are transitive verbs.
Objects
Let’s consider these sentences. In which ones could we replace the 'rest of
the sentence' (everything that comes after the verb) with an object pronoun
(me, them, etc.), but nothing else?
Everyone loves / that wise old man.
My lovely little boy made / a birthday cake.
This incredibly old man jumped / onto the table.
This car is / really expensive.
We could say:
Everyone loves / that wise old man. → Everybody loves him.
My lovely little boy made a birthday cake. → My lovely little boy made it.
In these sentences 'that wise old man' and 'a birthday cake' are the objects.
They are the recipients of the verbs love and made.
✦ S ubj ect – V erb – Obj ect
Unit 4: Clause structure and punctuation 2
, You may have heard English described as an SVO language. This describes
the structure of this type of clause. It tells us about the word order in English.
Subject – Verb – Object
Not all languages place these parts of the clause in this order.
Arabic, for example, is VSO: Verb – Subject – Object
Japanese is SOV: Subject – Object - Verb
✦ Two obj ects
Some verbs can take two objects:
My lovely little boy made me a birthday cake.
I gave the cat some fish.
The object which can be preceded by a preposition is the indirect object (IO)
and the object that the subject has direct contact with is the direct object
(DO):
My lovely little boy made me (IO) a birthday cake (DO).
My lovely little boy made a birthday cake (DO) for me (IO).
Unit 4: Clause structure and punctuation 3
punctuation
Reviewed
✦ Clause structure − introduction
Linking verbs are verbs that link the subject to something that tells us more
about the subject of the clause:
1. This car is really expensive.
2. Youth unemployment is a really difficult problem.
3. Maria feels awful.
4. Shannon has become a doctor.
5. She was late again.
The verbs link the subject of the clause with some information about that
subject. Linking verbs are also referred to as copula verbs.
There is one type of clause or sentence in English called an imperative. We
use the imperative form when we give instructions or orders:
Shut up
Sit down
Take a seat
In the imperative form, there is no subject, we just use the verb.
Unit 4: Clause structure and punctuation 1
, ✦ T ransitive verbs and intransitive verbs
English sentences can consist of just S+V – a subject and a verb:
I got up.
They've gone.
The sun rose.
Verbs which do not take an object are called intransitive verbs and verbs
which are followed by an object are transitive verbs.
Objects
Let’s consider these sentences. In which ones could we replace the 'rest of
the sentence' (everything that comes after the verb) with an object pronoun
(me, them, etc.), but nothing else?
Everyone loves / that wise old man.
My lovely little boy made / a birthday cake.
This incredibly old man jumped / onto the table.
This car is / really expensive.
We could say:
Everyone loves / that wise old man. → Everybody loves him.
My lovely little boy made a birthday cake. → My lovely little boy made it.
In these sentences 'that wise old man' and 'a birthday cake' are the objects.
They are the recipients of the verbs love and made.
✦ S ubj ect – V erb – Obj ect
Unit 4: Clause structure and punctuation 2
, You may have heard English described as an SVO language. This describes
the structure of this type of clause. It tells us about the word order in English.
Subject – Verb – Object
Not all languages place these parts of the clause in this order.
Arabic, for example, is VSO: Verb – Subject – Object
Japanese is SOV: Subject – Object - Verb
✦ Two obj ects
Some verbs can take two objects:
My lovely little boy made me a birthday cake.
I gave the cat some fish.
The object which can be preceded by a preposition is the indirect object (IO)
and the object that the subject has direct contact with is the direct object
(DO):
My lovely little boy made me (IO) a birthday cake (DO).
My lovely little boy made a birthday cake (DO) for me (IO).
Unit 4: Clause structure and punctuation 3
