1

English Language Lesson 1

Basic Sentence Structure

There are five basic patterns around which most English sentences are
built. They are as follows:
1

S-V

Subject-Verb

John sleeps.
Jill is eating.
Jack will arrive next week.

S-V-O

Subject-Verb-Object

I like rice.
She loves her job.
Hes eating an orange.

S-V-Adj

Subject-Verb-Adjective

He is funny.
The workers are lazy.
Karen seems angry.

S-V-Adv

Subject-Verb-Adverb

Jim is here.
Flowers are everywhere.
No one was there.

S-V-N

Subject-Verb-Noun

She is my mom.
The men are doctors.
Mr. Jones is the teacher.

At the heart of every English sentence is the Subject-Verb relationship.

Other elements can be added to make a sentence more interesting, but
they are not essential to its formation.
Adding to Sentences:
Who, what, where, when, why, how

Example:
The smart girl walked slowly down the road to see her friend.
Who?

How?

Where?

Why?

Exercise

1. A ________________ bird flew _______________ ______________

______________.
What?
How?
Why?

Where?

2. His _______________ brother saw ___________________

____________________.
Who?
What?
Where?
3. The _________________ policeman stopped __________________
______________.
Who?
Where?
Why?
4. I laughed ____________________ ______________________
___________________.
How?
When?
Where?
5. The _______________ flowers _________________ bloomed
___________________.

What?

Where?

When?

Tips for using adjectives

1. Use two or more descriptive adjectives together to further
describe the noun in the sentence.
The large fluffy gray cat perched on the windowsill.
2. When using more than one descriptive adjective, there is a
generally accepted order to follow:
size/age/shape/color/nationality/material.
The large, old, fluffy, gray cat perched on the windowsill.
3. General opinion adjectives should be placed before specific
opinion adjectives.
The attractive, brilliant singer received a standing ovation.
4. When writing similar adjectives, separate each word with a
comma.
It was a bright, sunshiny day.
If the adjectives have different meanings, dont use a comma.
It was a bright fun-filled day.
5. Adjectives usually come just before the noun in a sentence.
However, in some cases the adjective can follow the noun is
a verb precedes it.
The day is bright.
Here the adjective bright is at the end of the sentence, not before
the noun, but follows the verb is.

6. Some nouns can be transformed to adjectives by adding a

suffix. The noun danger is changed to the adjective
dangerous when the suffix -ous is added. Other suffixes
that can create adjectives from nouns are -ly, -ic, -like, -ish,
-al.
Love lovely
Child childlike
Acid acidic
Sheep sheepish
Nation national

Popular Adjectives
To Describe Taste
Bitter

Lemonflavored

Spicy

Fruity

Salty

Bland

Minty

Sweet

Gingery

Sour

Delicious

Pickled

Tangy

Tasty

Yummy

To Describe Touch
Auricular

Fluffy

Sharp

Sticky

Painful

Boiling

Freezing

Silky

Tender

Plastic

Breezy

Fuzzy

Slick

Tight

Prickly

Bumpy

Greasy

Slimy

Uneven

Rough

Chilly

Hard

Slippery

Warm

Shaggy

Cold

Hot

Smooth

Wet

Shaky

Cool

Icy

Soft

Filthy

Dirty

Cuddly

Loose

Solid

Flaky

Dry

Damaged

Melted

Steady

Damp

Dusty

To Describe Sound
Blaring

Melodic

Screeching

Squeaking

Purring

Deafening

Moaning

Shrill

Thundering

Quiet

Faint

Muffled

Silent

Voiceless

Raspy

Hoarse

Mute

Soft

Whispering

Resonant

Squealing

Loud

Husky

High-pitched Noisy
Hissing

Hushed

To Describe Color
Azure

Gray

Pinkish

Turquoise

Multicoloured

Black

Green

Purple

Violet

Mustard

Blue

Indigo

Red

White

Orange

Bright

Lavender

Rosy

Yellow

Pink

Brown

Light

Scarlet

Dull

Dark

Crimson

Magenta

Silver

Gold

Drab

To Describe Size
Abundant

Jumbo

Puny

Thin

Massive

Big-boned

Large

Scrawny

Tiny

Miniature

Chubby

Little

Short

Vast

Petite

Fat

Long

Small

Great

Giant

Majestic

Tall

Huge

Gigantic

Mammoth

Teeny

Immense

To Describe Shape
Blobby

Distorted

Rotund

Straight

Low

Broad

Flat

Round

Triangular

Narrow

Chubby

Fluffy

Skinny

Wide

Oval

Circular

Globular

Square

Cylindrical

Curved

Crooked

Hollow

Steep

Deep

To Describe Time
Annual

Futuristic

Rapid

Speedy

Modern

Brief

Historical

Regular

Swift

Old

Daily

Irregular

Short

Waiting

Old-fashioned

Early

Late

Slow

Young

Quick

Eternal

Long

Speed

Future

Fleet

Fast

First

To Describe an Amount
All

Heavy

One

Several

Limited

Ample

Hundreds

Paltry

Sizable

Little

Astronomical Large

Plentiful

Some

Many

Bountiful

Profuse

Copious

Countless

Considerable Full

Numerous

Very

Few

Each

Measly

Sparse

Myriad

Every

Enough

Mere

Substantial

Multiple

Teeming

Light

To Describe an Emotion

Abrasive

Embarrassed Grumpy

Tedious

Glib

Abrupt

Energetic

Kind

Tense

Glorious

Afraid

Enraged

Lazy

Terrible

Good

Agreeable

Enthusiastic Lively

Thankful

Grateful

Aggressive

Envious

Lonely

Thoughtful

Grieving

Amiable

Evil

Lucky

Thoughtless

Gusty

Amused

Excited

Mad

Tired

Gutless

Angry

Exhausted

Manic

Troubled

Happy

Annoyed

Exuberant

Mysterious

Upset

Healthy

Ashamed

Fair

Nervous

Weak

Heinous

Bad

Faithful

Obedient

Weary

Helpful

Bitter

Fantastic

Obnoxious

Wicked

Helpless

Bewildered

Fierce

Outrageous

Worried

Hilarious

Boring

Fine

Panicky

Zany

Homeless

Brave

Foolish

Perfect

Scary

Hungry

Callous

Frantic

Persuasive

Selfish

Hurt

Calm

Friendly

Pleasant

Silly

Immoral

Calming

Frightened

Proud

Splendid

Indignant

Charming

Funny

Quirky

Successful

Irate

Cheerful

Furious

Relieved

Enchanting

Itchy

Combative

Gentle

Repulsive

Jolly

Jealous

Comfortable Eager

Rundown

Determined

Defiant

Defeated

Elated

Sad

Disgusted

Delightful

Confused

Embarrassed Defeated

Disturbed

Depressed

Cooperative

Cruel

Cowardly

Creepy

Courageous

Dangerous

Cross

Crabby

To Describe a Person or Personality

Aggressive

Famous

Restless

Shy

Hesitant

Agoraphobic Fearless

Rich

Sleepy

Innocent

Ambidextrou
Fertile
s

Righteous

Somber

Inquisitive

Ambitious

Fragile

Ritzy

Stingy

Insane

Amoral

Frank

Romantic

Cautious

Capable

Angelic

Functional

Rustic

Cheerful

Careless

Brainy

Gabby

Ruthless

Helpful

Sedate

Breathless

Generous

Sassy

Gifted

Secretive

Busy

Calm

Exuberant

Real

Wrong

Clever

Jaunty

Stupid

Wacky

Outstanding

Common

Juicy

Super

Wandering

Perky

Complete

Macho

Swanky

Wild

Poor

Concerned

Manly

Tame

Womanly

Powerful

Crazy

Modern

Tawdry

Evil

Puzzled

Curious

Mushy

Terrific

Different

Verdant

Dead

Naughty

Testy

Diligent

Vivacious

Deep

Odd

Uninterested Energetic

Open

Delightful

Old

Vague

Erratic

Determined

To Describe Appearance
Ablaze

Distinct

Quirky

Unsightly

Lovely

Adorable

Drab

Ruddy

Unusual

Magnificent

Alluring

Dull

Shiny

Watery

Murky

Attractive

Elegant

Average

Skinny

Weird

Old-fashioned

Embarrassed Sloppy

Wild

Plain

Awkward

Fancy

Smiling

Wiry

Poised

Balanced

Fat

Sparkling

Wooden

Pretty

Beautiful

Filthy

Spotless

Worried

Puffy

Blonde

Glamorous

Strange

Zaftig

Quaint

Bloody

Gleaming

Tacky

Crooked

Colorful

Blushing

Glossy

Tall

Crushed

Confident

Bright

Graceful

Thin

Curly

Cracked

Clean

Grotesque

Ugly

Cute

Uncovered

Clear

Handsome

Unattractive

Debonair

Interior

Cloudy

Homely

Unbecoming Dirty

Clumsy

Main

Remarkable

Imperfect

Simple

Impossible

To Describe Situations
Accidental

Doubtful

Achievable

Elementarty Minor

Advantageou Fingers
printed

Nasty

Tangible

Internal

Alcoholic

Groundless

Nutritious

Tricky

Inventive

Animated

Hard

Obsolete

Wholesale

Jazzy

Aquatic

Harmful

Optimal

Worse

Juvenile

Aromatic

High

Organic

Wry

Legal

Aspiring

Honest

Premium

X-rated

Logical

Bad

Horrible

Quizzical

Disastrous

Creepy

Bawdy

Illegal

Rainy

Dismissive

Cumbersome

10

Biographical Illegible
Bizarre

Broken

Redundant

Credible

Careful