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direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said.
indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films.

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel.
indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.

'I travel a lot in my job.'

Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job.

'The baby's sleeping!'

He told me the baby was sleeping.

'I've hurt my leg.'

She said she'd hurt her leg.

Past simple and past continuous

When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.

'We lived in China for five years.'

She told me they'd lived in China for five years.

'It was raining all day.'

He told me it had been raining all day.

Past perfect

The past perfect doesn't change.

'I'd tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.'

He said he'd tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.

No backshift

If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense.

'I go to the gym next to your house.'

Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her.

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

'I enjoy working in my garden,' said Bob.

Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden.

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

'This is my house.'

He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.]

He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.]

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Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said.

direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said.
indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films.

direct speech:'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said.
indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef.

direct speech:'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said.
indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel.
indirect speech:Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. worked) than the tense originally used (e.g. work). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns.

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.

'I travel a lot in my job.'
Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job.
'The baby's sleeping!'
He told me the baby was sleeping.
'I've hurt my leg.'
She said she'd hurt her leg.

Past simple and past continuous

When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.

'We lived in China for five years.'
She told me they'd lived in China for five years.
'It was raining all day.'
He told me it had been raining all day.

Past perfect

The past perfect doesn't change.

'I'd tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.'
He said he'd tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.

No backshift

If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense.

'I go to the gym next to your house.'
Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her.
'I'm working in Italy for the next six months.'
He told me he's working in Italy for the next six months. Maybe I should visit him!
'I've broken my arm!'
She said she's broken her arm, so she won't be at work this week.

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

'I enjoy working in my garden,' said Bob.
Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden.
'We played tennis for our school,' said Alina.
Alina told me they'd played tennis for their school.

However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don't change.

'I'm working on my thesis,' I said.
I told her that I was working on my thesis.
'We want our jobs back!' we said.
We said that we wanted our jobs back.

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

'This is my house.'

He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.]

He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.]

'We like it here.'

She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.]

She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.]

'I'm planning to do it today.'

She told me she's planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.]

She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]

In the same way, these changes to those, now changes to then, yesterday changes to the day before, tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Language level

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Do you know how to report what somebody else said? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase (this noun, pronoun, or noun phrase is the object of the preposition).

In the phrase "the book on the table" the prepositional phrase is "on the table." It tells us the location of  "the book."

He walked through the park.

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A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase (this noun, pronoun, or noun phrase is the object of the preposition).

Prepositional phrases modify or describe nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. They say something about the relationship between their object and the word they describe/modify. Prepositional phrases can tell us when [time] or where [location] something is or something happened. They can tell us the direction something is or is moving/going. They can tell us something about the word or words they describe.

In the phrase "the girl with the long hair" the prepositional phrase is "with the long hair." It tells us something about "the girl."

In the phrase "the book on the table" the prepositional phrase is "on the table." It tells us the location of "the book."

In the sentence "I run in the morning" the prepositional phrase is "in the morning" and it modifies the verb "run" [it tells us when I run].

In the sentence "the keys are under the table" the prepositional phrase "under the table" tells us where they keys are.

In the sentence "the play starts at five o'clock" the prepositional phrase "at five o'clock" tells us when the play starts."

In the phrase "they keys to the house" the prepositional phrase "to the house" tells us about the keys [it tells us which keys they are/what the keys are for].

In the sentence "she looked around the living room for the cat" the prepositional phrase "around the living room" tells us where she looked" and the prepositional phrase "for the cat" tells us why she looked.

Below are more sentences with their prepositional phrases in italics and the word the prepositional phrase describes in bold:

I hope this helps.

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All About Prepositional Phrases | Britannica Dictionary

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A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase (this noun, pronoun, or noun

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Adverb + Verb

We use adverb phrases most commonly to modify verbs. In the examples the adverb phrases are in bold. The verbs that they modify are underlined:

Children grow up really quickly.

I exercise very regularly and I eat quite healthily.

Adverb + be

We use adverb phrases with be. This is especially typical of adverbs of place:

I’m upstairs. I’ll only be a minute.

A:

Have you seen my gloves?

B:

They’re right there, on the table.

Adverb + Adjective/Adverb

We use adverb phrases (adv) to modify adjectives and other adverbs:

I found it [ADV]extremely [adjective]difficult to talk to her.

He drives [ADV]really [ADV]carefully.

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Adverb phrases - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary

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An adjective phrase is a phrase that contains an adjective, but there’s more to it than that—as a whole, an adjective phrase is a phrase that acts as an adjective by describing a noun.

Here are a few bolded adjective phrases that serve this purpose:

The horse’s large, menacing eyes said a fight was imminent.

Your cluttered ’90s-era living room badly needs an update.

I didn’t enjoy the book because it was too long and convoluted for me to follow.

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Adjective Phrase: Definition & Examples | Grammarly Blog

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Adjective phrases are one of the many kinds of phrases you use in your speech and writing every day. With adjectives, you describe nouns. With adjective phrases, you describe adjectives. Ultimately, adjective phrases provide more vivid descriptions for nouns and create richer sentences.

What is an adjective phrase?

To really understand what an adjective phrase is, let's break it down.

A is a group of words that's not a sentence but expresses a coherent idea. They fit into sentences to provide context and clarity. Here are a few quick examples of phrases:

An is a word that describes a noun. Adjectives include:

An adjective phrase is a phrase that contains an adjective, but there's more to it than that-as a whole, an adjective phrase is a phrase that acts as an adjective by describing a noun. Take a look at the bolded adjective phrases in these sentences:

As you see in these examples, an adjective phrase can go before or after the noun it's ultimately describing.

How to identify adjective phrases

When you need to pick out an adjective phrase in a sentence, look for the noun first. Identify who or what the sentence is about. Let's use this sentence as an example:
After shopping around for months, I finally found a reliable, yet affordable, used truck.
There are two nouns in this sentence: the speaker and the truck. Next, look for adjectives-the words that modify these nouns. In our example sentence, only one noun, the truck, is described: It's a truck.

But if you look a little closer, you'll see that it isn't just a used truck-more specifically, it's a reliable, yet affordable, used truck. The phrase "reliable, yet affordable, used" is an adjective phrase because it provides descriptive details about the noun "truck."

We could delete this adjective phrase, and the sentence's meaning would stay the same: After months of shopping, I finally found a used truck. But by including the full phrase, we're more deeply describing the exact kind of truck the speaker wanted, giving context for why they shopped around for so long.

Look for phrases that could be cut from their sentences without changing their meaning, but remain because they provide valuable context. Here are a few more bolded adjective phrases that serve this purpose:

I didn't enjoy the book because it was too long and convoluted for me to follow.

By design, an adjective phrase contains multiple words. As you can see from the examples above, more than one of them may be adjectives. When you're looking for an adjective phrase in a sentence, look for words that follow the Royal Order of Adjectives, the standard order English adjectives follow in sentences . Although you might not consciously think about the order adjectives need to follow in a sentence, you'll notice when they're out of order because the sentence will sound wrong.

Examples of adjective phrases

Adjective phrases come in many different forms. Some incorporate comparative and superlative adjectives , such as these examples:

Compound adjectives are often part of adjective phrases, too:

Adjective phrases can contain adverbs:

And they can incorporate prepositions:

Sometimes, an adjective phrase is just a series of adjectives:

No matter what an adjective phrase contains or where it appears in a sentence, it always makes the sentence more descriptive without changing the sentence's core meaning.

What's the difference between adjective phrases and adjective clauses?

A phrase is a group of words that can't stand on its own as a sentence because it doesn't have a subject and a predicate. A clause, on the other hand, contain a subject and a predicate and in some cases stand on its own as a sentence.

Adjective clauses and adjective phrases largely play the same role: to describe a noun. But while an adjective phrase is simply a few additional words that "bulk up" an adjective, an adjective clause reiterates the noun. Often, an adjective clause does this with a .

Here are a few examples of adjective clauses bolded within sentences:

In contrast, here are these same sentences with adjective phrases swapped in for the adjective clauses:

Perpetually hat-wearing Niko P. won't be joining us this year.

Adjective phrase FAQs

What is an adjective phrase?

An adjective phrase is a phrase that's headed by an adjective and provides context, clarity, or details that support that adjective.

How do you identify an adjective phrase?

To find an adjective phrase within a sentence, locate the adjective and then determine which words are describing or adding meaning to the adjective.

What is an example of an adjective phrase?

Here are three:

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Adjective phrases are one of the many kinds of phrases you use in your speech and writing every day. With adjectives, you describe...

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Noun phrase can have premodifiers or postmodifiers

premodifiers :

These parts of the noun phrase are called premodifiers because they go before the noun.

The order :

determiners / quantifier > number > adjectives + noun

examples

I’ve lived in a lot of houses.

postmodifiers :

Postmodifiers can be:

prepositional phrases:

a man with a gun
the boy in the blue shirt
the house on the corner

–ing phrases :

the man standing over there
the boy talking to Angela

relative clauses :

the man we met yesterday
the house that Jack built
the woman who discovered radium
an eight-year-old boy who attempted to rob a sweet shop

that clauses. These are very common after nouns like idea, fact, belief, suggestion:

He's still very fit, in spite of the fact that he's over eighty.
She got the idea that people didn't like her.
There was a suggestion that the children should be sent home.

to infinitives :

I've got no decent shoes to wear.

These are very common after indefinite pronouns and adverbs:

You should take something to read.
I need somewhere to sleep.

There may be more than one postmodifier:

an eight-year old boy with a gun   who tried to rob a sweet shop
that girl over there   in a green dress   drinking a Coke

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Often a noun phrase is just a noun or a pronoun:

Premodifiers

But noun phrases can also include:

These parts of the noun phrase are called premodifiers because they go before the noun.

We use premodifiers in this order:

For example:

Postmodifiers

Other parts of a noun phrase go after the noun. These are called postmodifiers.

Postmodifiers can be:

the man we met yesterday
the housethat Jack built
the womanwho discovered radium
an eight-year-old boywho attempted to rob a sweet shop

He's still very fit, in spite of the fact that he's over eighty.
She gotthe idea that people didn't like her.
There was a suggestion that the children should be sent home.

These are very common after indefinite pronouns and adverbs:

There may be more than one postmodifier:

an eight-year old boy with a gun who tried to rob a sweet shop
that girlover there in a green dress drinking a Coke

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Often a noun phrase is just a noun or a pronoun: But noun phrases can also include: These parts of the noun phrase are called premodifiers because they go before the noun. We use premodifiers in this order: For example: Other parts of a noun phrase go after the noun.

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Infinitive clauses are subordinate clausesthat are formed using an infinitive to indicate the purpose, result, or condition of the action in the main clause. Infinitive clauses can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in a sentence.

There are two types of infinitive clauses:

To-infinitives

Bare infinitives

Infinitive clause as a subject

To swim after a meal is always wrong.

as an object

I have decided to go to Iran for holidays.

as object complement

He asked me to help him.

as subject complement

I advised you to consult a lawyer at once.

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To learn infinitive clauses, first of all, you should know the elements in a cause and the definition of an infinitive. In this lesson, we will learn them.

What Are Infinitive Clauses?

Infinitive clauses are subordinate clauses that are formed using an infinitive to indicate the purpose, result, or condition of the action in the main clause. Infinitive clauses can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs in a sentence.

Infinitive Clauses: Types

There are two types of infinitive clauses:

To-infinitives

Bare infinitives

'To-infinitives' can be divided into the following categories:

Basic

Perfect

Perfect continuous (progressive)

Passive

Any subordinate clause whose verb is in ' to-infinitive' form is a to-infinitive clause. Let's see some examples:

If you want to make me happy, buy me flowers.

To play, the children need a room.

To make a perfect form with infinitives we can use the following structure:
[to + have + past participle]
This structure is used to indicate that an action was completed before a certain time. For example:

The boy was lucky to have passed these tests before.

To form perfect continuous we can use this structure:
[To + have + been + verb + -ing]
We use this structure to emphasize duration. For example:

She was too skinny to have been eating all these foods.

If a passive finite verb clause is followed by an infinitive, the infinitive clause will also be in the passive voice.

I expect that all the rooms will be cleaned before the guests arrive.

I expect all the rooms to be cleaned before the guests arrive.

Infinitives normally include the particle 'to', but it is not always necessary. When an infinitive is used without the particle 'to', it is called a bare infinitive. Pay attention to the examples:

Infinitive Clauses: Functions

An infinitive clause often serves as the subject or object or complement of the main clause.

Infinitive Clauses as Subjects

An infinitive clause can function as the subject of a sentence. The verb ' be' or other state verbs typically follow the infinitive clause. For example:

The above sentences might sound too formal. It is more common to express these sentences using 'it' or a participle clause. For example:

Swimming after a meal is wrong.

It is wrong to swim after a meal.

Infinitive Clauses as Objects

using an infinitive clause in a sentence

An infinitive clause can serve as the object of a sentence. Many verbs can be followed by an infinitive clause as the direct object.

I have decided to go to Iran for the holidays.

Remember to take your lunchbox to school.

Try to control your anger.

Infinitive Clauses as Object Complements

An infinitive or infinitive clause can function as an object complement by describing the action intended or desired for the direct object. For example:

Infinitive Clauses as Subject Complements

An infinitive clause can serve as a subject complement after the verb 'be' or other linking verbs.

My advice is to consult a lawyer at once.

Her decision was to quit her job in three months.

The Infinitive of Purpose

We can use a nounor pronoun followed by an infinitive clause to express the purpose of that noun. In this pattern, the to-infinitive follows the noun or pronoun.

Do you have a credit card to pay for all this?

Infinitive clauses can also be used to explain the reason or purpose for doing something. In this case, 'to' has the same meaning as ' in order to' or ' so as to'.

Infinitive Clauses with Question Words

Verbs such as 'ask, decide, explain, forget, know, show, tell, and understand' can be followed by question words like where, how, what, who, and when followed by the infinitive clause. Take a look at the examples:

He's forgotten where to look for his suitcase.

Infinitive Clauses with Adjectives

Sometimes, an infinitive clause immediately follows an adjective. Normally, the structure of the sentence would be as follows:

subject + to be + adjective + (for/of someone) + infinitive clause + (rest of sentence)

It is important for the doctor to explain the procedure to the patient.

Infinitive Clauses with Adverbs

Infinitive clauses can also be used with the adverbs ' too' and ' enough' in order to indicate the reason behind an action. In these cases, we can easily remove the infinitive and the sentence would still be grammatically correct. The structure is as follows:

'enough' + the adjective, adverb, or noun + the infinitive

the adjective, adverb, or noun + 'enough' + the infinitive

There is too much salt to put in this soup.

She's old enough to date whomever she deems suitable.

The prepositional phrase that comes before an infinitive clause is not the subject, it is the complement of a prepositional phrase. Take a look at some examples:

For them to host a party is entertaining.

For me to speak three languages would be amazing.

Infinitive clauses are made of an infinitive. Infinitives can be bare infinirtive or to-infinitive. Infinitive clauses are used as:

Object

object complement

subject complement

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"Infinitive Clauses" in the English Grammar

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To learn infinitive clauses, first of all, you should know the elements in a cause and the definition of an infinitive. In this lesson, we will learn them.

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A participle clause is a type of dependent clause that uses a participle to modify a noun or pronoun in a sentence.

Types :

1. Present participle clauses

2. Past participle clauses

3. Perfect participle clauses

Present participle clauses are used for :

show that two actions are taking place simultaneously

show that an action is the result of the other action

indicate that an action is the reason of the other action

provide additional information about the subject of the main clause

Past participle clauses are used for :

1. to shorten a passive clause

2. to show condition similar to an if condition

3. to give the reason for an action

4. to add extra information about the subject of the main clause

Perfect participle

'Perfect participle' clauses are used to indicate an action that was completed before the action in the main clause. 'Perfect participles' can be used to form either active or passive sentences.

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To get to know participle clauses, first of all, you have to be familiar with the concept of participles and clauses separately.

What Is a Participle Clause?

A participle clause is a type of dependent clause that uses a participle to modify a noun or pronoun in a sentence. It is a non-finite clause, meaning that it does not have a specific tense or subject. Participle clauses often act as adjectives in a sentence, providing additional information about the noun or pronoun they modify. Participle clauses can also be used to shorten a sentence by replacing a longer clause.

Participle Clauses: Types

There are different types of participles and accordingly, different types of participle clauses in English which include:

Present Participle Clauses

Present participle clauses are used to:

show that two actions are taking place simultaneously

Holding the cookbook in her left hand, she stirred the soup in the pot with her right hand.

Shaking angrily, she left the room.

Knowing what she needed the most at that time, he bought her a cellphone.

Coming soon in all theaters nationwide, the new Tom Hanks movie is the new box office hit.

using a participle clause in a sentence

Past participle clauses are used in the following contexts:

to shorten a passive clause

Devastated by the news, she called the hospital.

Perfect Participle Clauses

'Perfect participle' clauses are used to indicate an action that was completed before the action in the main clause. 'Perfect participles' can be used to form either active or passive sentences.

Having gotten arrested, he shouted he was innocent.

Having finished their homework, they walked downstairs to go to the restaurant.

Having been made with chocolate, the cake made me sick.

Participle Clauses: Functions

A participle clause can function as an adjective, an adverb, or a noun.

Participle Clauses Functioning as Adjectives

A participle clause can often function as an adjective modifying a noun or a pronoun. When it functions as an adjective, the participle clause usually directly follows the noun. For example:

Marcus, excited by the news, rushed out of the room.

Three old men sitting on a bench in the park discussed the current situation.

Participle Clauses Functioning as Adverbs

Participle clauses can also function as adverbs giving information about the time, reasons, results, conditions, etc. of the events described in the sentence.

Seeing me in that state, he got so sad.

Participle Clauses Functioning as Nouns

Only present participle clauses can function as a noun, for example, as the subject of a sentence:

Eating in this restaurant is very expensive.

When to Use Participle Clauses?

A 'participle clause' is used when the subjects of the participle and the verb are the same. Here's an example:

Talking about the issues, I dropped the glass.

Having warned her, she knew Hanna would get in trouble.

The Tense in Participle Clauses

These types of clauses do not have a specific tense. The tense in the main clause would decide the tense of the participle clause.
It is very important to remember that participle verbs do not change their form to show tense and they just mimic the tense of the main clause.

Talking to my therapist, I relaxed completely.

Talking to my therapist, I relax completely.

Talking to my therapist, I will relax completely. (When I talk - future time clause)

Participle clauses are common in written English, especially in literary, academic, or journalistic style, because they allow the writer to include information without making long or complicated sentences.

Participle Clauses: Negation

To make the participles negative, all we have to do is to add the word 'not' before the participles. check out the examples:

Not having slept for eighteen hours, he felt sick.

Not ordering anything, she left the table.

Not feeling well, I entered the party.

Participle Clauses with Prepositions and Conjunctions

Prepositions such as 'before', 'after', 'instead of', 'on', 'since', 'when', 'while', and 'in spite of' are commonly used with participles (especially present participles) to further emphasize or clarify the order, time, cause, and effect of the event. Pay attention to the examples:

Before giving the speech, she reviewed the text.

Since coming to China, I haven't seen my family.

Without knowing it, I hurt his feelings.

Participle clauses begin with a participle. They are used to shorten a long structure or sentence. Remember participle clauses are non-finite. Participle clauses are used to express:

results

reasons

same ideas

conditional

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"Participle Clauses" in the English Grammar

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To get to know participle clauses, first of all, you have to be familiar with the concept of participles and clauses separately.

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A noun clause is a type of subordinate clause (dependent clause) that acts as a noun in a sentence.

example :

Whoever wrote the graffiti needs grammar lessons.

This sentence has two clauses: an independent clause and a noun clause. The noun clause is the phrase “whoever wrote the graffiti”; this group of words work together as a single noun and include both a subject (whoever) and a verb (wrote).

Noun clause examples

1. Noun clause examples: Subject

The subject is the person or thing that does the main action in a sentence. The subject usually comes at the beginning of a sentence.

Whoever wins the race gets the trophy.

Whichever you pick is fine with me.

2. Noun clause examples: Direct object

The direct object is the noun that receives the action of transitive verbs.

I couldn’t see whether it was day or night.

The chess player didn’t know if they could win.

3. Noun clause examples: Indirect object

In sentences with transitive verbs, indirect objects receive the direct object. They typically come between the verb and the direct object.

She told whoever would listen her sad story.

Look for open teammates; don’t just pass whoever is closest the ball.

4. Noun clause examples: Prepositional object

Nouns act as objects to prepositions like on, about, or for. Together the preposition and its object form a prepositional phrase.

Our suspect depends on who owns the murder weapon.

The people want to hear about why you’re running for congress.

5. Noun clause examples: Predicate nominative

Predicate nominatives are nouns that follow linking verbs like be or seem. Instead of describing an action like other verbs, linking verbs describe the subject—the action is simply existing.

Is this what you wanted?

His reason for being late was that his cat got sick.

Keep in mind the relative pronoun that is often optional and can be removed from a sentence. In the next example, it is still assumed but not stated.

His reason for being late was his cat got sick.

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A Comprehensive Guide to Noun Clauses | Grammarly

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A noun clause is a type of subordinate clause (dependent clause) that acts as a noun in a sentence. Most of the time noun clauses begin with a relative pronoun like or whatever. In this noun clause example, "I like who you are," the noun clause "who you are" acts as a single noun, specifically the direct object for the verb like.

Noun clauses are considered advanced English because they can get a little confusing. So in this guide, we cover the rules for how to use noun clauses correctly. But first, let's take a deeper look at the question, What is a noun clause?

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What is a noun clause?

A noun clause gets its name because it is simply a clause that acts like a noun. A clause is any group of words that contains both a subject and a verb, but noun clauses are a specific type of clause called a subordinate clause.

Also known as dependent clauses, subordinate clauses cannot be used alone and need to join an independent clause. That means sentences with noun clauses will always have at least two verbs (because they will always have two clauses). Let's look at a noun clause example:
Whoever wrote the graffiti needs grammar lessons.
This sentence has two clauses: an independent clause and a noun clause. The noun clause is the phrase "whoever wrote the graffiti"; this group of words work together as a single noun and include both a subject ( whoever) and a verb ( wrote).

Here's where it gets a little tricky. The noun clause "whoever wrote the graffiti" is also the subject of the independent clause. The verb of the independent clause is needs, and its direct object is grammar lessons.

Let's say the noun clause represents someone named Cody. In other words, Cody wrote the graffiti. We could rewrite the first sentence as:
Cody needs grammar lessons.
Essentially, the noun clause "whoever wrote the graffiti" replaces the individual noun "Cody." The noun clause acts just like the individual noun it represents but gives a little more detail by introducing a new verb into the sentence.

How to use noun clauses

Noun clauses can do anything a regular noun can do. This means they can act as a:

Noun clauses completely replace individual nouns in a sentence, no matter how long the noun clauses are or how many words they contain. For example, let's look at a sentence without a noun clause.

The individual noun things is the direct object for eats. If we want to give more detail, we can replace the noun things with a more descriptive noun clause. Not only do noun clauses contain an extra verb for more details, they can also include other words like adverbs and prepositional phrases.

Notice how our new noun clause has its own subject ( whatever) and verb ( falls). These are different from the independent clause's subject ( my dog) and verb ( eats). The noun clause also contains the additional prepositional phrase "on the floor," which offers even more information. No matter how many words or phrases it contains, the noun clause still acts as only a single noun, replacing things.

What do noun clauses start with?

Noun clauses are fairly easy to recognize if you know what they start with. Noun clauses can begin with relative pronouns and certain subordinating conjunctions. Here's a list of common words that begin noun clauses to help you identify them when reading or use them when writing.

Relative pronouns

Indefinite relative pronouns

Subordinating conjunctions

Noun clause examples

1 Noun clause examples: Subject

The subject is the person or thing that does the main action in a sentence. The subject usually comes at the beginning of a sentence.
Whoever wins the race gets the trophy.
2 Noun clause examples: Direct object

The direct object is the noun that receives the action of transitive verbs.

3 Noun clause examples: Indirect object

In sentences with transitive verbs, indirect objects receive the direct object. They typically come between the verb and the direct object.

4 Noun clause examples: Prepositional object

Nouns act as objects to prepositions like on, about, or for. Together the preposition and its object form a prepositional phrase.

5 Noun clause examples: Predicate nominative

Predicate nominatives are nouns that follow linking verbs like be or seem. Instead of describing an action like other verbs, linking verbs describe the subject-the action is simply existing.
His reason for being late was his cat got sick.
Keep in mind the relative pronoun that is often optional and can be removed from a sentence. In the next example, it is still assumed but not stated.

Noun clauses vs. relative clauses

Although both noun clauses and relative clauses can begin with relative pronouns, noun clauses function differently than relative clauses. A noun clause completely replaces an individual noun in a sentence. However, relative clauses don't replace anything; they simply add new information. They modify nouns instead of taking their place.

In the first example above, the noun clause "whoever runs the store" acts as the object of the preposition with. But in the second example, "the person" is the object of the preposition with. The relative clause "who runs the store" is an adjective phrase that describes and modifies "the person" but does not replace it like a noun clause does.

Noun clause vs. noun phrase

Just like a noun clause, a noun phrase is also a group of words that work together as a single noun. The main difference between a noun clause and a noun phrase is noun clauses have verbs, but noun phrases do not. Noun clauses also usually start with relative pronouns, unlike noun phrases.

In the noun clause example, "how we can go from Main Street to the highway" has a subject ( we) and a verb ( go), the necessary parts of a clause. The prepositional phrases "from Main Street" and "to the highway" act as adverbs that describe the verb go.

The noun phrase "directions from Main Street to the highway" does not have a verb. The prepositional phrases "from Main Street" and "to the highway" act as adjectives to describe the noun directions.

In both of these examples, the group of words work together as a single noun that is the direct object of told and explains what the gas station clerk said.

Noun clause FAQs

What is a noun clause?

A noun clause is a type of subordinate clause (dependent clause) that acts as a noun in a sentence. In the noun clause example, "I like who you are," the noun clause "who you are" acts as a single noun, specifically the direct object of the verb like.

How do noun clauses work?

In noun clauses, the words all work together to replace a single noun. You can use noun clauses in all the same places you can use a normal noun: as the subject, direct object, indirect object, prepositional object, or predicate nominative.

What's the difference between a noun clause and a noun phrase?

Both noun clauses and noun phrases are groups of words that work together as a single noun. The difference is that noun clauses contain a verb, but noun phrases do not. Noun clauses also usually start with a relative pronoun, whereas noun phrases do not.

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A noun clause is a type of subordinate clause (dependent clause) that acts as a noun in a sentence. Most of the time noun clauses...

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An adverbial clause, sometimes referred to as an adverb clause, is a group of words that, together, functions as an adverb. This means that the clause describes or modifies a verb,adjective, or another adverb. Unlike other types of clauses, an adverbial clause is always a dependent clause.

See how adverbial clauses and adverbs compare in these examples:

He bakes cakes weekly.

He bakes cakes before he leaves for work every Sunday.

Eagerly, my brother agreed to the business proposal.

As dollar signs flashed in his eyes, my brother agreed to the business proposal.

Here are a few examples of adverbial phrases:

Andrei eats his lunch with gusto.

We thought, through logic, that the next bus would come at 3:10.

And here are similar examples of adverbial clauses:

Andrei eats his lunch faster than everyone else eats.

We thought, because the bus has been so predictable lately, that the next one would come at 3:10.

Types

manner - She addressed the crowd as she had practiced in the mirror.

place - My son told me another fight broke out where he eats lunch at school.

condition - We’ll be sitting in the conference room until they tell us to leave.

reason - We adopted these two cats because they are a bonded pair.

time - Before she got home, she called and ordered a pizza.

purpose - We studied all night so we would pass the exam.

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Adverbial Clause: Defined With Examples | Grammarly Blog

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Sometimes, a sentence might make its point perfectly clear, but need a little extra description When you come across a sentence like this in your writing, use an . That's why English has them.

But sometimes, a sentence needs more than just an adverb. It needs more context to communicate the what, where, why, and/or how behind its main . In this case, you can follow the sentence up with another sentence . . . or you can use an adverbial clause. An adverbial clause is a dependent clause that modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb in its sentence. In other words, an adverbial clause is a clause that does the same thing as an adverb.

What is an adverbial clause?

An adverbial clause, sometimes referred to as an adverb clause, is a group of words that, together, functions as an adverb. This means that the clause describes or modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb . Unlike other types of clauses, an adverbial clause is always a dependent clause. This means that it cannot stand on its own as an independent sentence.

Adverbial clauses make sentences richer by providing additional context and description that standard adverbs cannot. See how adverbial clauses and adverbs compare in these examples:

Eagerly, my brother agreed to the business proposal .

As dollar signs flashed in his eyes, my brother agreed to the business proposal.

As you see in these examples, adverbial clauses can appear at any point in a sentence. They can be literal or figurative , like the clause in the fourth example.

Every part of speech, as well as every kind of phrase and clause, is a tool designed for a specific purpose. When you need to write a succinct sentence, use an adverb. When you need more information, use an adverbial clause.

What's the difference between an adverbial clause and an adverbial phrase?

An adverbial clause is similar to, but not the same as, an adverbial phrase. Both are groups of words that play the adverb role, but with one key difference: An adverbial clause contains a subject and a verb, while an adverbial phrase does not.

Here are a few examples of adverbial phrases:

And here are similar examples of adverbial clauses:

Types of adverbial clauses

Adverbial clauses come in many different forms. Each of these forms is characterized by the nature of the information the clause is communicating.

Adverbial clauses of manner

An adverbial clause of manner describes how the action described in the sentence's main clause is taking place or previously took place. Here are a few examples:

Adverbial clauses of place

Adverbial clauses of place describe where the action in a sentence's main clause takes place. See how they work in these examples:

Adverbial clauses of condition

With an adverbial clause of condition, you can communicate the conditions related to the verb, adverb, or adjective in the sentence's main clause. These examples demonstrate a few ways to use adverbial clauses of condition:

Whether my husband likes it or not, we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving at my parents' house.

Adverbial clauses of reason

Adverbial clauses of reason tell us the reason for the action being taken in the sentence's main clause. These clauses generally use subordinating conjunctions like , , and . Here are a few examples of sentences that include adverbial clauses of reason:

Adverbial clauses of time

Adverbial clauses of time communicate the action in a sentence takes place:

Before she got home, she called and ordered a pizza.

Adverbial clauses of purpose

Like adverbial clauses of reason, adverbial clauses of purpose frequently involve subordinating conjunctions. These two kinds of clauses can look similar, but they have one key difference: While adverbial clauses of reason give the reason something is happening, adverbial clauses of purpose explain the reason take a specific action. Here are a few examples:

So that they could ease the traffic flow, the event organizers split the group into three cohorts.

Adverbial clauses of comparison

Adverbial clauses of comparison are clauses that communicate how the subject of the dependent clause compares to the subject in the main clause. There are two types of adverbial clauses of comparison: adverbial clauses of comparison of degree and adverbial clauses of comparison of manner.

Here are a few examples of adverbial clauses of comparison of degree:

Here are a few examples of adverbial clauses of comparison of manner:

Adverbial clause of concession

In an adverbial clause of concession, the writer acknowledges or admits a factor that modifies the main clause. Take a look at these adverbial clauses of concession:

Despite how I had good intentions, the interaction went horribly wrong.

Examples of adverbial clauses

Previously, we demonstrated how adverbial clauses can appear at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. They can also appear in the middle, as they do in these examples:

Our team, whenever they win a match, acts like a swarm of bees and comes together as a cohesive unit.

Udarsh sat, because his usual spot at the table was taken, in a chair in the corner.

Adverbial clauses can be long, sometimes even longer than their sentences' main clauses:

Because there was ice on the road and I'd already slipped and fallen twice in the last week, I stayed home from school.

They can also be quite short:

It was dark in the hallway, so Nina illuminated it after she found a match in her backpack.

Adverbial clause FAQs

What is an adverbial clause?

An adverbial clause is a dependent clause that functions as an adverb in a sentence.

What is an example of an adverbial clause?

Here are two examples: José, as he tried to contain his excitement, awaited the company's response.

What are the different types of adverbial clauses?

Here are the different types of adverbial clauses:

Adverbial clauses of manner

Adverbial clauses of place

Adverbial clauses of condition

Adverbial clauses of reason

Adverbial clauses of time

Adverbial clauses of purpose

Adverbial clauses of comparison (of degree and manner)

Adverbial clause of concession

Each type communicates different information, but every type is a group of words that functions as an adverb.

Write with clarity and confidence

Adverbial clauses are just one of the many kinds of clauses you employ in your writing. They can be tricky, and it can be easy to make mistakes with them (and other kinds of clauses!).

If you're using Grammarly, you don't have to worry about that because Grammarly catches grammar mistakes in your writing and suggests ways you can fix them. Grammarly doesn't just make grammar suggestions, either-it also analyzes your writing's tone and offers ways to adjust it so your message comes across exactly as you intended.

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Sometimes, a sentence might make its point perfectly clear, but need a little extra description When you come across a sentence like this in your writing, use an . That's why English has them. But sometimes, a sentence needs more than just an adverb.

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We use relative pronouns to introduce relative clauses. Relative clauses tell us more about people and things:

Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
This is the house which Jack built.
Marie Curie is the woman that discovered radium.

We use:

who and whom for people

which for things

that for people or things.

1.  We use relative clauses to make clear which person or thing we are talking about:

Marie Curie is the woman who discovered radium.
This is the house which Jack built.

In this kind of relative clause, we can use thatinstead of who or which:

Marie Curie is the woman that discovered radium.
This is the house that Jack built.

We also use relative clauses to give more information about a person, thing or situation:

Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
We had fish and chips, which I always enjoy.
I met Rebecca in town yesterday, which was a nice surprise.

With this kind of relative clause, we use commas (,) to separate it from the rest of the sentence.

whose and whom

We use whose as the possessive form of who:

This is George, whose brother went to school with me.

We sometimes use whom as the object of a verb or preposition:

This is George, whom you met at our house last year.
(whom is the object of met)

Relative pronouns with prepositions

When who(m) or which have a preposition, the preposition can come at the beginning of the clause:

I had an uncle in Germany, from who(m)I inherited a bit of money.
We bought a chainsaw, with which we cut up all the wood.

or at the end of the clause:

I had an uncle in Germany, who(m) I inherited a bit of money from.
We bought a chainsaw, which we cut all the wood up with.

when and where

We can use when with times and where with places to make it clear which time or placewe are talking about:

England won the World Cup in 1966. It was the year when we got married.
I remember my twentieth birthday. It was the day when the tsunami happened.

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The relative pronouns are:

We use relative pronouns to introduce relative clauses. Relative clauses tell us more about people and things:

Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
This is the housewhich Jack built.
Marie Curie is the womanthat discovered radium.

We use:

Two kinds of relative clause

There are two kinds of relative clause:

1. We use relative clauses to make clear which person or thing we are talking about:

Marie Curie is the woman who discovered radium.
This is the housewhich Jack built.

In this kind of relative clause, we can use that instead of who or which:

Marie Curie is the woman that discovered radium.
This is the housethat Jack built.

We can leave out the pronoun if it is the object of the relative clause:

2. We also use relative clauses to give more information about a person, thing or situation:

Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
We had fish and chips,which I always enjoy.
I met Rebecca in town yesterday,which was a nice surprise.

With this kind of relative clause, we use commas (,) to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
Level: intermediate
whose and whom

This is George, whose brother went to school with me.

We sometimes use whom as the object of a verb or preposition:

but nowadays we normally use who:

This is George, who you met at our house last year.
This is George's brother,who I went to school with.

Relative pronouns with prepositions

When or which have a preposition, the preposition can come at the beginning of the clause:

I had an uncle in Germany, from who(m) I inherited a bit of money.
We bought a chainsaw,with which we cut up all the wood.

or at the end of the clause:

I had an uncle in Germany, who(m) I inherited a bit of money from.
We bought a chainsaw,which we cut all the wood up with.

But when has a preposition, the preposition always comes at the end:

I didn't know the uncle that I inherited the money from.
We can't find the chainsawthat we cut all the wood up with.

when and where

We can use when with times and where with places to make it clear which time or place we are talking about:

England won the World Cup in 1966. It was the year when we got married.
I remember my twentieth birthday. It was the daywhen the tsunami happened. Do you remember the place where we caught the train?
Stratford-upon-Avon is the townwhere Shakespeare was born.

We can leave out when:

England won the World Cup in 1966. It was the year we got married.
I remember my twentieth birthday. It was the daythe tsunami happened.

We often use quantifiers and numbers with relative pronouns:

She has three brothers, two of whom are in the army.
I read three books last week,one of which I really enjoyed.
There were some good programmes on the radio,none of which I listened to.

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Learn about relative pronouns and relative clauses and do the exercises to practise using them.

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TSLB 1104

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Statements:

– A statement is a sentence that provides information, expresses a fact, or conveys an idea.

– Example: "The sun rises in the east."

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Questions:

– A question is a sentence that seeks information or asks for clarification. It often begins with a question word (who, what, when, where, why, how) or an auxiliary verb.

– Example: "Where is the nearest grocery store?"

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Requests:

– A request is a sentence that asks someone to do something or asks for something to be done. It often uses polite language.

– Example: "Could you please pass me the salt?"

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Suggestions:

– A suggestion is a sentence that offers advice or recommends a course of action. It's often more polite and less direct than a command.

– Example: "Why don't we try the new Italian restaurant for dinner?"

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Advice:

– Advice is a recommendation or guidance given to help someone make a decision or take a specific action.

– Example: "You should start exercising regularly for better health."

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"I'll pay you the money tomorrow," he said.

“I’m thinking of going to Thailand next week,” she said.

“I will probably do it tonight,” I told her.

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Reported speech: hopes, intentions, & promises | EF Global Site (English)

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Reporting hopes, intentions, and promises When we report an intention, hope or promise, we use an appropriate reporting verb followed by a 'that' clause with 'would' in it, or a to-infinitive clause. Verbs used in this pattern include: hope, promise, threaten, guarantee, & swear.

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Yes/no questions

In yes/no questions, we use if or whether to report the question. If is more common.

'Are you going to the Helsinki conference?'

He asked me if I was going to the Helsinki conference.

Questions with a question word

In what, where, why, who, when or howquestions, we use the question word to report the question.

'What time does the train leave?'

He asked me what time the train left.

Reporting verbs

The most common reporting verb for questions is ask, but we can also use verbs like enquire, want to know or wonder.

'Did you bring your passports?'

She wanted to know if they'd brought their passports.

Offers, requests and suggestions

If the question is making an offer, request or suggestion, we can use a specific verb pattern instead, for example offer + infinitive, ask + infinitive or suggest + ing.

'Would you like me to help you?'

He offered to help me.

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Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person asked.

direct speech: 'Do you work from home?' he said.
indirect speech:He asked me if I worked from home.

direct speech:'Who did you see?' she asked.
indirect speech:She asked me who I'd seen.

direct speech:'Could you write that down for me?' she asked.
indirect speech:She asked me to write it down.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

A reported question is when we tell someone what another person asked. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'Do you like working in sales?' he asked.
indirect speech: He asked me if I liked working in sales.

In indirect speech, we change the question structure (e.g. Do you like) to a statement structure (e.g. I like).

We also often make changes to the tenses and other words in the same way as for reported statements (e.g. have done → had done, today → that day). You can learn about these changes on the Reported speech 1 - statements page.

In yes/ no questions, we use if or whether to report the question. If is more common.

'Are you going to the Helsinki conference?'
He asked me if I was going to the Helsinki conference.
'Have you finished the project yet?'
She asked us whether we'd finished the project yet.

Questions with a question word

In what, where, why, who, when or how questions, we use the question word to report the question.

'What time does the train leave?'
He asked me what time the train left.
'Where did he go?'

Reporting verbs

The most common reporting verb for questions is ask, but we can also use verbs like enquire, want to know or wonder.

'Did you bring your passports?'
She wanted to know if they'd brought their passports.
'When could you get this done by?'
He wondered when we could get it done by.

Offers, requests and suggestions

If the question is making an offer, request or suggestion, we can use a specific verb pattern instead, for example offer + infinitive, ask + infinitive or suggest + ing.

'Would you like me to help you?' 'Can you hold this for me, please?' 'Why don't we check with Joel?'
She suggested checking with Joel.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Language level

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Do you know how to report a question that somebody asked? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

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REPORTED SPEECH orders, requests, suggestions | direct and indirect speech | HOW TO ENGLISH

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Reported Speech 6 | Suggestions (How to report Suggestions)

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Repored Speech 5 | Advice / How to Report Advice

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The boy plays.

Jack eats.

Sara sits.

Notes from TSLB 1104

Intransitive Verb

• an intransitive verb is a verb that does not require a direct object to

complete its meaning in a sentence.

• an intransitive verb expresses an action or state of being that does

not act upon a direct object. The action or state is complete without

the need for something or someone to receive the action.

Example -

1. She dances.

2. He sings.

3. They stutter.

4. I write.

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Example

Simple Past tense

1. Liam drank beer.

2. Marie ate pasta.

Simple Present tense

1. I kick the ball.

2. They grow plants.

Future Tense

1. I will pick the flowers.

2. She will drink her hot chocolate.

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When creating sentences, different languages follow particular word orders. This refers to the order of the subject, verb, and object in a sentence. The six main word orders (from most to least common) are as follows:

SOV - subject, object, verb

SVO - subject, verb, object

VSO - verb, subject, object

VOS - verb, object, subject

OVS - object, verb, subject

OSV - object, subject, verb

The focus of this article is the second most commonly used word order, which is subject, verb, object. This is often shortened to SVO. We'll be taking a look at the definition and grammar of subject, verb, object, along with some examples and the languages that use it as their dominant word order (including the English language!)

Subject Verb Object Definition

Check out the definition of subject verb object below:

Subject verb object is one of six main word orders across all languages.

In sentences that follow the subject verb object structure, the subject comes first. This is then followed by the verb and, lastly, the object.

Subject Verb Object Grammar

Before taking a look at some examples, it is important to focus on grammar and understand the purpose of the subject, verb, and object in a sentence. Let's take a look at each element in more detail:

Subject

The subject in a sentence refers to the person or thing carrying out an action. For example:

" We watched a scary movie."

In this sentence, the subject is "we."

Verb

The main verb in a sentence is the action itself. You may have heard it being referred to as a "doing word" in school; that is essentially its purpose! For example:

"She writes a book."

In this sentence, the verb is "writes."

Object

The object in a sentence refers to the person or thing that receives the action of the verb. For example:

"James and Mark are painting a picture."

In this sentence, the object is "a picture."

It is worth noting that an object is not always needed in a sentence for it to make grammatical sense. The subject and verb, however, are necessary to create a meaningful sentence. For example:

"James and Mark are painting."

This sentence does not include an object, but still makes grammatical sense.

If the sentence did not have either the subject or the main verb, it would not make sense. For example:

No subject: "are painting." Who are painting?

No main verb: "James and Mark are." James and Mark are doing what?

English Subject Verb Object

The English language uses subject verb object as the natural word order. A natural word order (also known as an unmarked word order) refers to the dominant, basic word order a language uses without having to change or add anything for emphasis. In English, the word order is fairly strict, meaning most sentences follow the same SVO structure.

However, there are exceptions, which are due to the different grammatical voices we can use to create sentences. Grammatical voice refers to the relationship between the action of a verb and the subject and object.

In English grammar, there are two grammatical voices:

1. Active voice

2. Passive voice

The most commonly used voice is the active voice, which occurs in sentences where the subject actively performs the action. Sentences in the active voice follow the subject-verb object word order. For example:

In this example, it is clear that the subject, John, is the person carrying out the action of building.

On the other hand, the passive voice is less commonly used. In sentences that use the passive voice, the subject is being acted upon, and the object assumes the position of the subject. The passive voice does not follow the SVO word order; instead, the structure is as follows:

Subject → Auxiliary verb 'to be' → Past participle verb → Prepositional phrase. For example:

"The treehouse was built by John."

In this sentence, the focus has been shifted from the person/thing carrying out the action to the person/thing affected by the action.

Subject Verb Object Examples

Check out some examples of sentences written in the subject verb object word order below. The SVO word order is used with any tense, so let's begin by looking at some examples written in the simple past tense:

Now here are some examples written in the simple present tense:

Finally, here are some examples written in the simple future tense:

Subject Verb Object Languages

We know that the English language uses subject verb object as the natural word order, but what about the other languages that use it too? It is the second most common word order, after all!

Below is a list of languages that use SVO as their natural word order:

Some languages are more flexible in terms of word order, so don't stick to just one "natural" order. For example, Finnish, Hungarian, Ukranian and Russian use both the subject verb object and subject object verb word orders equally.

Below are some example sentences of the SVO word order in different languages, along with the English translations:

Example sentences

English translation

Chinese: 他踢足球

He plays football.

Spanish: Hugo come espaguetis.

Hugo eats spaghetti.

French: Nous mangeons des pommes.

We eat apples.

Italian: Maria beve caffè.

Maria drinks coffee.

Hausa: Na rufe kofar.

I closed the door.

Portuguese: Ela lavou a roupa.

She washed her clothes.

Subject Verb Object - Key takeaways

Subject verb object is one of six main word orders across all languages. It is the second most common word order (behind subject object verb).

In sentences that follow the subject verb object structure, the subject comes first. This is then followed by the verb and, lastly, the object.

The subject and verb are needed to create a meaningful sentence, but the object is not always necessary.

The English language uses subject verb object as the natural (dominant) word order.

In English, sentences in the active voice use the subject object verb word order. Sentences in the passive voice do not.

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Subject Verb Object: ✓ Definition ✓ Example ✓ English ✓ Sentences ✓ Grammar ✓ Concept ✓ StudySmarter Original

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Adverb – describes other words (not nouns)

Examples: jumped yesterday, talks fast, sings loud, very pretty, luckily for us

Maria laughs loudly.

The dog jumps high.

Apples are everywhere.

TSLB 1104

• She runs quickly.

• They speak softly.

• He works diligently.

• The students listen attentively.

• We play tennis every weekend.

• The birds sing at dawn.

• I studied French intensively.

• They laughed at the joke.

• The train arrived late.

• She writes passionately.

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The linking verb acts as a bridge between the subject and the subject complement.

Examples of linking verbs include "be," "become," "seem," "appear," and "feel." These verbs do not show action but instead connect the subject to the subject complement. For instance, in the sentence, "He is a doctor," the linking verb "is" connects the subject "he" to the subject complement "doctor."

Here are some examples of subject complement in sentences:

She became a lawyer. (Predicate Nominative)

The flowers smell wonderful. (Predicate Adjective)

He looks tired. (Predicate Adjective)

The cake tastes delicious. (Predicate Adjective)

The book is heavy. (Predicate Adjective)

She seems happy. (Predicate Adjective)

My sister became a doctor. (Predicate Nominative)

The sky looks beautiful tonight.(Predicate Adjective)

Predicate Nominative

A predicate nominative is a noun/pronoun which follows our linking verb and renames or identifies the subject.

Predicate Adjective

A predicate adjective comes after linking verbs and describes our subject. It is called "predicate" because it comes after the verb, and "adjective" because it is an adjective.

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This grammatical concept of the subject complement may sound confusing at first, but once you understand its role in sentence structure, you will be able to use it well in your writing and speech. In this reference, we will explore what a subject complement is, its types, and provide examples of subject complement in sentences.

What is a Subject Complement?

A subject complement is a part of a sentence that follows a linking verb and serves to describe or identify the subject of the sentence. In simpler terms, it is a word or that complements the subject and provides more information about it. The linking verb acts as a bridge between the subject and the subject complement.

Examples of linking verbs include "be," "become," "seem," "appear," and "feel." These do not show action but instead connect the subject to the subject complement. For instance, in the sentence, "He is a doctor," the linking verb "is" connects the subject "he" to the subject complement "doctor."

Role of Subject Complement in Sentence Structure

Subject complements play an essential role in sentence structure as they provide additional information about the subject. They can help to clarify a sentence's meaning and make it more precise. Subject complements can be either predicate nominatives or predicate adjectives .

Types of Subject Complement

There are two types of subject complements:

Predicate Nominative

A predicate nominative is a /pronoun which follows our linking verb and renames or identifies the subject. It is called "predicate" because it comes after the verb, and "nominative" because it is in the nominative case.

For example, in the , "She is a teacher," the linking verb "is" connects the subject "she" to the predicate nominative "teacher." Another example is, "My favorite color is blue." Here the linking verb "is" connects the subject "my favorite color" to the predicate nominative "blue."

Predicate Adjective

A predicate adjective comes after linking verbs and describes our subject. It is called "predicate" because it comes after the verb, and "adjective" because it is an adjective.

For instance, in the sentence, "The food smells delicious," the linking verb "smells" connects the subject "food" to the predicate adjective "delicious." Another example is, "He seems happy today." Here the linking verb "seems" connects the subject "he" to the predicate adjective "happy."

Examples of Subject Complement in Sentences

Here are some examples of subject complement in sentences:

She became a lawyer. (Predicate Nominative)

The flowers smell wonderful. (Predicate Adjective)

He looks tired. (Predicate Adjective)

The cake tastes delicious. (Predicate Adjective)

The book is heavy. (Predicate Adjective)

She seems happy. (Predicate Adjective)

My sister became a doctor. (Predicate Nominative)

The sky looks beautiful tonight. (Predicate Adjective)

Subject Complement vs Object Complement

It is important to distinguish between subject complement and object complement as they serve different purposes in a sentence. While a subject complement describes or identifies the subject of a sentence, an object complement describes or identifies the object.

For example, in the sentence, "We elected her president," the pronoun "her" is the object of the verb "elected," and "president" is the object complement. In contrast, in the sentence, "She is a doctor," "doctor" is the predicate nominative that complements the subject "she."

A subject complement is a part of a sentence that follows a linking verb and describes or identifies the subject. It can be either a predicate nominative or predicate adjective. Subject complements provide additional information about the subject and help to clarify a sentence's meaning. Once you get used to seeing them in sentences, you should find it very easy to enrich your language with this fun construct!

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Subject complement can be difficult to understand if you're an English learner. Luckily, this reference can help you with plenty of examples!

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They drove him mad.

She considers him a friend.

We found the house empty.

He painted the wall green.

That case made the lawyer famous.

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Verb patterns: subject + verb + object + object complement

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Every sentence in English follows a certain pattern. There are several sentence patterns in English. A decent understanding of these structures will help you to

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Subject Verb Object Adverbial English Grammar