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English Language Learner (ELL) Sentences

This chapter focuses on the sentence issues that are most challenging for learners of the English language.

In this chapter

Basic Sentence Structure
Advanced Sentence Structure
Conditional Sentences
Errors with Repeated/Omitted Words
Idioms

Basic Sentence Structure

Structure 1: Subject + Verb

In English, the order of words indicates their use in the sentence. Subjects generally come before verbs; indirect and direct objects generally follow verbs. In the pattern below, the subject is connected to an intransitive verb—smiled. An intransitive verb is complete without any objects.

Structure 2: Subject + Verb + Direct Object

In the pattern below, the subject is connected to a transitive verb—positioned. A transitive verb requires a direct object to be complete. (Honorato positioned what? The camera.) The direct object receives the action of the verb.

Structure 3: Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object

In the pattern below, the transitive verb gave is completed by an indirect object and a direct object. The direct object receives the action of the verb. (Honorato gave what? An engagement ring.) The indirect object tells to whom or for whom the action was done. (Honorato gave an engagement ring to whom? His girlfriend.)

Basic Sentence Patterns

Advanced Sentence Structure

Structure 4: Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Object Complement

In the construction below, the direct object Lupita receives the action of the verb named. The object complement then renames or describes the direct object. This construction is rare, occurring usually with verbs for nominating someone (named, elected, appointed, nominated, called).

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Structure 5: Subject + Linking Verb + Subject Complement

In the construction below, a linking verb (such as is, are, was, were, will be, seems, appears) connects the subject president with the subject complement Doctor Allan Schnieder. A subject complement either renames or describes the subject.

Structure 6: Linking Verb + Subject + Subject Complement

In the construction below, the linking verb comes before the noun, signaling that the sentence is a question.

Structure 7: Helping Verb + Subject + Verb + Direct Object

To form a question with an action verb, the sentence below begins with a helping verb followed by the subject and then the main verb.

Structure 8: Expletive + Linking Verb + Subject

In the construction below, the expletive there signals that the subject is delayed until after the verb. (The word here is also an expletive.)

Conditional Sentences

Some sentences express a situation that depends on a certain condition’s being met. One clause presents the condition (the conditional clause) and the other clause presents the situation (the main clause). Different conditionals are formed differently.

Factual Conditionals

A factual conditional refers to an actual situation in the present or past tense. The conditional clause starts with a word such as if, when, or whenever, and the verb in the clause matches the tense of the verb in the main clause (both past tense or both present tense).

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Predictive Conditionals

A predictive conditional refers to possibilities. The conditional clause starts with the word if or unless and uses a present-tense verb. The main clause uses a modal (will, can, should, may, might) and a present-tense main verb.

Hypothetical Conditionals

A hypothetical conditional begins with if and refers to a situation that is contrary to fact or is unlikely to happen.

Errors with Repeated/Omitted Words

Some languages allow double subjects or double negatives. Others allow subjects to be omitted. These structures aren’t permitted in Standard English.

Double Subjects

Avoid repeating the subject of a sentence or clause.

Incorrect: My friend, she enjoyed the movie.

Correct: My friend enjoyed the movie.

Double Negatives

Avoid using two negatives when forming a negative statement. Two negatives actually cancel each other out, making the sentence positive.

Incorrect: I didn’t never get my paycheck. I didn’t get no paycheck. I hardly never got paid.

Correct: I didn’t get my paycheck. I didn't get any paycheck. I never got paid.

Omitted Words

Some languages allow the subject of the sentence to be omitted, but in English, most sentences must have a stated subject. In a command, the subject you can be implied. Wash the car. (You wash the car.) All other sentences must have a stated subject.

Incorrect: Is in the garage.

Correct: It is in the garage.

Also, make sure not to omit the expletives there or here.

Incorrect: Is a bucket on the shelf.

Correct: There is a bucket on the shelf.

Repeated Object

In an adjective dependent clause, do not repeat the object.

Incorrect: I need the book that I lent it to you.

Correct: I need the book that I lent to you.

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Idioms

An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning is different from the meaning of the words in the expression. Here are some common idioms.

Idiom	Meaning	Example
add fuel to the fire	make a bad situation worse	Criticizing your brother for getting upset will only add fuel to the fire.
an arm and a leg	a great deal of money	That sleek new convertible costs an arm and a leg.
an axe to grind	a dispute with someone	The author had an axe to grind with the critic who disliked his book.
back-seat driver	someone who criticizes without being directly involved	I make all the decisions and take all the responsibility, while you’re just a back-seat driver.
bad apple	someone who causes trouble in a group	That team has a bad apple who is destroying morale.
ball in your court	the next act or decision is yours	After we made our proposal, the ball was in the other company’s court.
beat around the bush	avoid getting to the point	Don’t beat around the bush. Tell me what you really think.
bend over backward	do anything in order to help	The sales staff bends over backward for customer satisfaction.
between a rock and a hard place	between two bad alternatives	The couple could declare bankruptcy or get a second mortgage: They were between a rock and a hard place.
bite your tongue	don’t say what you want to say	My brother didn’t take my advice to get his oil changed. When his engine seized up, I bit my tongue.
break the ice	get a group to interact	Let’s play a party game to break the ice.
chew out	verbally scold	When I showed up late for work, my boss chewed me out.
chip on your shoulder	challenging, looking for a fight	My neighbor was never friendly; he always had a chip on his shoulder.
chow down	eat heartily	At the buffet, the whole team chowed down.
crack up	laugh	When I saw the photo of the dancing dogs, I cracked up.
cross your fingers	wish for a positive outcome	Tonight is the vote on the important law. Cross your fingers!
cup of joe	cup of coffee	I can’t ever focus in the morning until I have a cup of joe.
cut to the chase	get to the point	Cut to the chase: What happened when the police showed up?
dime a dozen	common, easy to acquire	Bad renditions of Christmas carols are a dime a dozen.
drive someone up the wall	annoy someone extremely	The constant dripping from the faucet drove me up the wall.
feeding frenzy	an aggressive group attack	The actor’s drunk driving arrest set off a media feeding frenzy.
get over it	move beyond something troublesome	I know the sales report depressed you, but you have to get over it.
get up on the wrong side of the bed	have a bad attitude, feel grumpy	When he slammed the door, I knew he had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.
give someone the cold shoulder	ignore someone	I’m always friendly when I see her, but she gives me the cold shoulder.
go for broke	gamble everything	At first I was afraid to ask her out, but I decided to go for broke.
go out on a limb	take a chance, take a risky position	I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that you stop dating people like him.
head over heels	joyful, thrilled, in love	She was head over heels about her new boyfriend.
heart on your sleeve	express emotions openly or obviously	You always know how Pedro feels; he wears his heart on his sleeve.
hit the hay/sack	go to bed	I’m exhausted. I think I’ll hit the sack.
hit the nail on the head	do or say something exactly right	When you said we need a new car, you hit the nail on the head.
in the bag	completely certain	After preparing for two weeks, I knew my audition was in the bag.
in your face	aggressive, confrontational	The car sales person was really in your face.
kitty-corner/ catty-corner	diagonally across from	The donut shop is catty-corner to the gas station.
know the ropes	understand a procedure or location	After a week in the restaurant, I really knew the ropes.
let sleeping dogs lie	avoid stirring up an old conflict	Don’t remind your brother about losing his necklace: Let sleeping dogs lie.
let the cat out of the bag	share a secret	Before I could tell Mom about my job, Dad let the cat out of the bag.
lose face	suffer embarrassment	So as not to lose face, I quit before they could fire me.
lose your head	go crazy, lose control	When the snowplow blocked my driveway, I lost my head.
off on the wrong foot	starting a relationship badly	I spilled my drink on my blind date. We got off on the wrong foot.
off the hook	released from a tough situation	When the talent show was canceled, I was off the hook.
on pins and needles	anxious or excited	Before our first date, I was on pins and needles all day.
on the fence	undecided	I’m on the fence about voting Republican or Democrat.
on the same page	in agreement	We’re on the same page about the new tax: We’re against it.
out of the blue	without warning; unexpectedly	We couldn’t pay our bills. Then out of the blue, I got a job.
over the top	excessive	The complaint letter was scathing and over the top.
piece of cake	easily accomplished	I’m good at math, so most equations are a piece of cake.
pig out	eat greedily; eat much	At Thanksgiving dinner, the whole family pigged out.
pipe down	quiet down; shut up	You’d better pipe down. People are tired of your complaints.
pull your leg	tease, kid, or trick someone	When he said that you won $100, he was pulling your leg.
put your foot in your mouth	say something embarrassing	When I criticized the painting, I didn’t know I was talking to the artist: I put my foot in my mouth.
ride shotgun	sit in the front passenger seat	You can drive, and I will ride shotgun.
save face	recover from embarrassment	Paying for the repairs to the pool table helped me save face.
start from scratch	do something over from the beginning	We threw out the original files and started from scratch.
the last straw	a small burden causing a big breakdown	When my neighbor blocked my drive, that was the last straw.
tongue in cheek	joking	The comedy provided a tongue-in-cheek view of corporate finance.
toss-up	an unclear situation or result	After all the bids were in, it was a toss-up who would get the contract.
under the weather	ill	The talk show host with a scratchy voice seemed under the weather.
when pigs fly	never	You can expect me to help you move when pigs fly.
zero tolerance	punishing even the smallest crimes	The athletics department has a zero-tolerance police for steroid use.

Chapter 30: ELL Sentences

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