English sentences begin with the subject, then the main verb. In a simple statement, the subject names who or what, and the verb shows the action or state.

The order is subject + verb. In The dog sleeps, the dog is the subject and sleeps is the verb. In I wait, I comes first and wait comes second.

For basic statements, this order stays stable. It is the starting point for Making Statements, and it also supports Negatives and Asking Questions later on.

Adding a direct object after the verb

Example	Pattern
She reads books.	Put the direct object after the verb to complete the basic sentence.

After the verb, English can add a direct object. The object receives the action.

The order becomes subject + verb + object. In She reads books, she is the subject, reads is the verb, and books is the object. In We opened the door, the door comes after opened.

Keep the object right after the verb. The verb does not move, and the object does not move in front of it.

Placing a phrase after the object

Example	Pattern
He puts the keys on the table.	Put a prepositional phrase after the object when it gives more information about that noun.

A prepositional phrase can come after the object. It adds information about place, time, direction, or connection.

In He put the keys on the table, on the table follows the object the keys. The phrase tells where the keys went, so it belongs with the object part of the sentence.

Compare She painted the wall with blue paint and She painted with blue paint the wall. English uses the first order. The phrase after the object can describe that object or complete the scene around it.

Adding an adverb to the verb

Example	Pattern
She quietly closes the door.	Put an adverb with the verb to show how the action happens.

An adverb can appear with the verb to describe how, when, or how often the action happens. In a simple sentence, it usually comes before the main verb.

The pattern is subject + adverb + verb + object. In They quickly closed the shop, quickly comes before closed. In I always drink tea in the morning, always comes before drink.

The adverb belongs with the verb, so it sits in the verb area of the sentence. It changes the action, not the noun.

Placing an adjective before a noun

Example	Pattern
He buys a red bike.	Put an adjective before the noun it describes.

An adjective comes immediately before the noun it describes. It gives information about size, color, age, opinion, or quality.

In She bought a red car, red comes before car. In We saw an old house, old comes before house.

The noun stays after the adjective. English does not normally place the adjective after the noun in a simple description like this.

To make a negative sentence, put not after the verb. The rest of the sentence keeps the same order.

With a simple form of the verb be, use subject + be + not + rest of the sentence. In The room is not ready, not follows is. In other verb patterns, English uses an auxiliary verb before not, as in Negatives.

The main sentence order does not change around not. The subject stays first, and the verb stays close to it.

In a question, the auxiliary moves before the subject. The rest of the clause stays in the same order after the subject.

Compare She is coming and Is she coming? The auxiliary is moves in front. Compare They have finished dinner and Have they finished dinner? The auxiliary have moves to the front.

This pattern is central in Asking Questions. The main sentence order inside the clause does not change, so the subject still comes before the main verb or participle.

When a sentence has two clauses, each clause keeps its own word order. One clause does not change the order inside the other clause.

In I know that she works in a hospital, the main clause is I know and the subordinate clause is that she works in a hospital. Inside the subordinate clause, the order is still subject + verb + rest. The same is true in He said that the train leaves early.

The connector joins the clauses, but the word order in each clause stays normal.

A relative clause comes after a noun and gives extra information about that noun. The noun comes first, then the relative clause follows it.

In the woman who lives next door, who lives next door describes the woman. In the bag that I bought yesterday, that I bought yesterday describes the bag.

The main noun keeps its place before the clause. The clause adds detail without changing the position of the noun it describes.

Sometimes English moves an element to the front for emphasis. The normal order still exists, but a fronted element gets special focus.

Compare I want this book with This book, I want. The second sentence places this book first to highlight it. Compare She finished the work quickly with Quickly, she finished the work.

This order is not the usual pattern for everyday statements, questions, or negatives. It appears when the speaker wants to point to one part of the message before continuing with the clause.