Practice
English practice 3: improve sentence accuracy
Sign in to saveA clear sentence gives the reader a person or thing, an action or state, and enough detail to understand the message. Start with that small frame before adding extra words.
Build and check short everyday English sentences by choosing a clear subject and verb, using time words in a natural place, and adding basic punctuation.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
complete sentence /kəmˈpliːt ˈsen.təns/
The short answer
For a clear everyday sentence, find the subject and its verb first. Then add information such as an object, place, or time. Use a capital letter at the beginning and a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end.
My neighbour walks to the station every morning.
Why it works: My neighbour is the subject, walks is the verb, and the rest tells us where and when.
5 more examples
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The children play football after school.
The plural subject the children takes the base verb play.
Not this:The child
playsfootball after school. What changes: A singular third-person subject takes plays in the present simple. -
Rina checks her email before lunch.
Rina is one person, so the present-simple verb has -s.
Not this:Rina and Omar
checktheir email before lunch. What changes: Two people form a plural subject, so the verb does not take -s. -
We usually meet at the library on Thursdays.
Usually comes before the main verb meet in this sentence.
Not this:We are
usuallyat the library on Thursdays. What changes: With be, an adverb of frequency commonly comes after are. -
My keys are on the kitchen table.
Are links the plural subject my keys to information about place.
Not this:My key
ison the kitchen table. What changes: One key is singular, so use is. -
Did your sister call you yesterday?
A past-simple yes-or-no question can begin with Did.
Not this:Your sister
calledyou yesterday. What changes: A statement keeps the subject first and puts the past form on the main verb.
Read the full guide
When a sentence feels difficult, do not try to fix every word at once. First ask who or what the sentence is about. Next ask what that person or thing does, has, feels, or is. Once those two parts are clear, place the remaining information where a reader expects it.
Find the subject and the verb first
A complete statement normally needs a subject and a verb. The subject can be a name, a pronoun, or a noun phrase. The verb can show an action, as in work or cook, or a state, as in be, have, or know. Find these parts before you add more detail.
Nadia cooks dinner for her family.
Nadia is the subject and cooks is the verb. Dinner and for her family give extra information.
Which word is the verb in They need more chairs?
Need is the verb. It tells us what they require.
Match the present-simple verb to the subject
In the present simple, I, you, we, and they use the base verb: I work and they work. He, she, and it usually use a verb ending in -s or -es: she works and it finishes. This change is small, but it helps the reader see who performs the action.
Our teacher explains new words clearly.
Our teacher means one person, so explain becomes explains.
Our teachers explain new words clearly.
Do not add -s after do or does in a question or negative. Say Does he work here? and He does not work here. The form does already carries the third-person ending.
Place frequency words where readers expect them
Words such as always, usually, often, sometimes, and never tell us how often something happens. They usually come before a main verb. With the verb be, they usually come after am, is, or are.
I often listen to the news on the bus.
Often appears before listen because listen is the main verb.
The bus is often crowded in the evening.
Often follows is because be comes before it in this pattern.
Add place and time without losing the main pattern
After the subject and verb, add the information that makes the message useful. An object often comes after an action verb. Place and time phrases often come later. A common order is subject, verb, object, place, then time, although a writer can move a time phrase to the beginning for emphasis.
We met our friends at the café on Saturday.
We is the subject, met is the verb, our friends is the object, and the last phrases give place and time.
On Saturday, we met our friends at the café.
This second sentence is also correct. The opening time phrase receives more attention, and the comma helps the reader see the opening phrase.
Turn a statement into a question
English questions often change the word order. With be, put am, is, or are before the subject: Are you ready? With many other present-simple and past-simple verbs, use do, does, or did before the subject and keep the main verb in its base form.
Are the shops open today?
Are comes before the subject the shops in this question.
Does Karim take the early train?
Does comes first, and take stays in the base form.
Which question is correct: Does she likes tea? or Does she like tea?
Use Does she like tea? Does shows the present-simple form, so like has no -s.
Use punctuation to show the sentence type
Begin a complete sentence with a capital letter. End a statement with a full stop and a direct question with a question mark. Use an exclamation mark only when the feeling or instruction needs strong emphasis. Punctuation lets the reader see your meaning quickly.
Please bring your passport to the appointment.
This is an instruction, but it is written as a calm statement with a full stop.
Where did you put the passport?
The question mark shows that the writer expects information.
Before you finish, read the sentence once. Check the capital at the start, the subject and verb in the middle, and the punctuation at the end.
Before you go
Remember this
Start by finding the subject and verb. Check whether the verb matches one person or thing, or more than one. Put common time information where it reads naturally, choose statement or question word order, and finish the sentence with suitable punctuation.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English practice 3: improve sentence accuracy"
What makes an English sentence complete?
A complete everyday English statement normally has a subject and a verb. The subject tells the reader who or what the sentence concerns, while the verb tells the reader about an action or state. Extra details can say what, where, when, or how.
The children play football after school.
How do I choose work or works in the present simple?
Use the base form with I, you, we, and they: they work. For he, she, it, and one named person or thing, use a present-simple form such as works. In questions with does, keep the main verb in the base form.
The child plays football after school.
Where do words like usually and never go in a sentence?
Frequency words commonly come before the main verb, as in I usually study at home. With the verb be, they commonly follow am, is, or are, as in The room is never empty. This position makes the sentence easier to follow.
Rina checks her email before lunch.
How do I form a simple English question?
With be, place am, is, or are before the subject. For many present-simple and past-simple questions, start with do, does, or did, then use the subject and the base verb. End a direct question with a question mark.
Rina and Omar check their email before lunch.
What punctuation should a short English sentence have?
Start a complete sentence with a capital letter. Use a full stop for a statement and a question mark for a direct question. An exclamation mark is for stronger feeling or urgent instruction, so it does not belong at the end of every sentence.
We usually meet at the library on Thursdays.