Verb patterns are the common structures that follow a verb and complete its meaning. Many verbs cannot stand alone with only a subject because they need a complement such as an object, an adjective, or another verb form. Learning patterns helps you choose the correct grammar after each verb and avoid unnatural sentences. A verb’s pattern is part of its meaning and is often fixed for that verb.

A complement is information that completes the verb’s meaning and makes the sentence grammatical or complete in sense. Complements can be noun phrases, adjective phrases, prepositional phrases, or verb forms like to-infinitives and -ing forms. Some complements are required by the verb, while others are optional and add extra detail. In this topic, complements are about what the verb allows or requires, not about extra time or place information.

Intransitive verbs do not take a direct object, so they usually follow the pattern Subject + Verb. They can still be followed by optional adverbials or prepositional phrases that add information, but those are not direct objects. Common intransitive verbs often describe states, movement, or events. If you add a direct object after a purely intransitive verb, the result is ungrammatical.

Rule	Example
Rule: No direct object after the verb	Example: She laughed loudly.
Rule: A prepositional phrase may follow without being an object	Example: They arrived at noon.
Rule: Some verbs are intransitive in one meaning but not in another	Example: He runs every day.

Transitive verbs require a direct object to complete their meaning, following the pattern Subject + Verb + Object. The object is typically a noun phrase or pronoun that answers what or whom after the verb. Without the object, the sentence may be incomplete or change meaning. Some verbs can be both transitive and intransitive depending on meaning and context.

Rule	Example
Rule: A direct object is required	Example: She opened the door.
Rule: Object can be a pronoun or noun phrase	Example: I need it.
Rule: Some verbs allow object omission in limited contexts	Example: Have you eaten yet?

Some verbs commonly take two objects: an indirect object and a direct object, often for giving, sending, or telling. The indirect object is usually a person who receives something, and it often comes before the direct object. English can also express the indirect object with a prepositional phrase, typically with to or for. The choice depends on the verb and what sounds natural with the object types.

Rule	Example
Rule: Indirect object often comes before direct object	Example: She gave him a key.
Rule: Alternative pattern uses a preposition	Example: She gave a key to him.
Rule: Some verbs prefer the preposition pattern with long objects	Example: She explained the problem to everyone in the room.

Some verbs take an object plus an additional complement that describes or identifies that object. This complement can be an adjective phrase or a noun phrase, and it completes the meaning by saying what the object is or becomes. These patterns are common with verbs of naming, making, considering, and finding. The object complement is not a separate object; it refers to the same thing as the object.

Rule	Example
Rule: Object + adjective complement describes the object	Example: The news made her anxious.
Rule: Object + noun complement identifies the object	Example: They elected her president.
Rule: Complement refers to the object, not the subject	Example: I found the plan risky.

Linking verbs connect the subject to a subject complement, usually an adjective phrase or a noun phrase. They do not describe an action that transfers to an object; instead they describe a state, identity, or change. The most common linking verb is be, but many verbs of change and perception also work this way. After a linking verb, the complement describes the subject, not an object.

Rule	Example
Rule: Subject + linking verb + subject complement	Example: The soup smells delicious.
Rule: Complement can be an adjective or noun phrase	Example: He became a doctor.
Rule: No direct object in linking patterns	Example: She seems tired.

Many verbs can be followed by a to-infinitive complement, often to express intention, decision, refusal, or willingness. The pattern may be Verb + to-infinitive or Verb + object + to-infinitive, depending on the main verb. In the object version, the object is typically the person who will do the infinitive action. The to-infinitive acts as a complement, not as a purpose phrase added on separately.

Rule	Example
Rule: Verb + to-infinitive is common after decision verbs	Example: She decided to leave.
Rule: Some verbs use object + to-infinitive	Example: They asked him to help.
Rule: The object is the understood subject of the infinitive	Example: I want you to listen.

Some verbs take an -ing form as their complement, often to describe activities, habits, or experiences. The -ing complement can function like a noun phrase, and it may appear with or without an object depending on the verb. Certain verbs strongly prefer -ing rather than a to-infinitive, and the choice is part of the verb’s pattern. The -ing form here is a complement required by the verb, not just a descriptive participle.

Rule	Example
Rule: Some verbs require an -ing complement	Example: He avoided talking about it.
Rule: Enjoy, finish, suggest commonly take -ing	Example: We enjoyed walking by the river.
Rule: -ing complement can take its own object	Example: She considered buying a car.

Many verbs take a clause as a complement to report thoughts, speech, perceptions, or facts. These complements may be that-clauses, wh-clauses, or if and whether clauses, depending on meaning. The clause functions as what is said, thought, known, or asked, and it completes the verb. In informal English, that is often omitted, but the clause pattern remains the same.

Rule	Example
Rule: That-clause reports statements or beliefs	Example: She said that she was ready.
Rule: Wh-clause reports questions or unknown information	Example: I don’t know what he wants.
Rule: If or whether clause expresses uncertainty or alternatives	Example: They asked whether we could come.