Building…

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1. The nutshell — what makes a sentence?

Every English sentence needs two essentials: a subject (the doer) and a verb (the action or state). Add things from there.

• I run. — Subject (I) + Verb (run). That’s a complete sentence.
• She is happy. — Subject (She) + Verb (is) + Adjective (happy).
• Birds fly. — Subject (Birds) + Verb (fly).

Three sentence types

• Statement — tells you something. Ends with a full stop. “I like coffee.”
• Question — asks something. Ends with a question mark. “Do you like coffee?”
• Command — tells someone to do something. Ends with a full stop or exclamation mark. “Drink your coffee!”

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2. Word order — the SVO rule

English is a fixed-order language. The standard pattern is Subject + Verb + Object (SVO). If you change the order, you change the meaning — or break the sentence.

Subject	Verb	Object
I	love	pizza.
The dog	chased	the cat.
Sarah	plays	the guitar.
We	watch	films at the weekend.

After the object — Place, then Time

When you add place and time information, the order is Place before Time. Think P–T.

• I went to the park yesterday. (? place + time)
• I went yesterday to the park. (sounds wrong)
• She arrives at the office at 9am.
• We had a meeting in Valletta last week.

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3. The 8 parts of speech

Every word in English does one of eight jobs. Knowing the job tells you where the word can go in a sentence and which other words it can connect to.

1. Noun — names a person, place, thing, or idea

Boy, girl, Malta, dog, Jack, happiness, table.

• Often used with an article: a dog, an apple, the teacher.
• Proper nouns (names) start with a capital letter: Malta, Jack, Tuesday.
• Singular or plural: cat / cats, child / children.
• Countable (apple, book) or uncountable (water, advice).
• Possessive form takes ‘s: Sarah’s car, the dog’s bowl.

2. Pronoun — replaces a noun

Used so we don’t have to repeat the noun. “Jack lives in Malta. He loves it.”

Type	Examples	Use
Subject pronoun	I, you, he, she, it, we, they	Doer of the verb. He works.
Object pronoun	me, you, him, her, it, us, them	Receiver of the verb. She called me.
Possessive adjective	my, your, his, her, its, our, their	Goes before a noun. My book.
Possessive pronoun	mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs	Stands alone. This book is mine.
Reflexive pronoun	myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves	Same person as subject. She did it herself.

3. Verb — expresses action or state

Eat, love, have, take, give, run, be, seem. Every sentence needs at least one verb.

• Action verbs — describe what someone or something does: run, write, play.
• State verbs — describe being or feeling: be, seem, have, know, like.
• Auxiliary (helping) verbs — help the main verb: am, is, are, was, were, do, does, did, have, has, had, will, would, can, should, must.
• Infinitive — the base form with to: to go, to eat, to learn.

“I want to go to the beach.” — want is the main verb, to go is the infinitive.

4. Adjective — describes a noun or pronoun

Beautiful, intelligent, ugly, blue, short, big, expensive. Adjectives answer which one? what kind? how many?

• Articles (a, an, the) and quantifiers (some, many, few) are also adjectives.
• Used with How…?: How big? How expensive?
• If you stack adjectives, follow the OSSACOM order — see section 5.

5. Adverb — describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb

Slowly, quickly, gently, often, well, very, really. Adverbs answer when? where? how? why? how often? how much?

• Many adverbs end in -ly: slow ? slowly, quick ? quickly.
• Some don’t: fast, hard, well, often, never, soon.
• Position depends on the type — see section 6.

6. Preposition — small connector word

On, at, in, before, by, with, about, until, from, to, for. Prepositions sit before a noun or pronoun and link it to the rest of the sentence.

• Place: at home, in Malta, on the table
• Time: at 9am, on Monday, in March
• Other: with my friend, by car, for you

7. Conjunction — joins words, phrases, or clauses

• Coordinating (FANBOYS): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Join equal parts. “I’m tired, but I’m happy.”
• Subordinating: because, although, while, when, if, since. Add a smaller clause to a main one. “I stayed home because it was raining.”

8. Interjection — short word that shows emotion

Oh!, Wow!, Hey!, Ouch!, Hmm…, Oh no!, Wow! Often followed by an exclamation mark. Stands separately from the main sentence.

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4. The slot table — building a full sentence

Once you have your subject and verb, English lets you add more — but the order is fixed. Think of a sentence as a row of slots. Each slot has a job. Not every slot is filled in every sentence, but the order never changes.

The 11 slots

Subject	(Aux)	(adv)	Verb	Article	(adj)	Object	(prep)	Comp.	Place	Time
Kyle	is	usually	drinking
Kyle	is	usually	drinking	a cup of	strong	tea	without	sugar	in the kitchen	at 8.00am
The puppy	is	often	chasing	a	colourful	frisbee	with	the children	in the garden	on weekends
She	is	normally	writing	her	detailed	reports	with	experienced colleagues	at the office	every weekday
Daniel	is	generally	daydreaming				during	our presentations
The mouse	should		hide			her cheese	from	the cat	in the cupboard
her food	from	the dog	at home

Read each row left to right and you get a complete sentence. The slots in brackets (Aux), (adv), (adj), (prep) are optional — you can drop them and the sentence still works.

What each slot does

• Subject — who or what does the action. Kyle, the cat, I, you, the dog.
• (Aux) — helping verb. is, are, was, will, can, should, have…
• (adv) — how often or how. usually, often, normally, slowly.
• Verb — the main action. eat, drink, play, work.
• Article / determiner — a, an, the, some, many, a cup of, my, your.
• (adj) — description. hot, beautiful, big.
• Object — what or who receives the action. coffee, the ball, projects.
• (prep) — small connector. with, without, from, during.
• Compl. — extra info linked by the preposition. my colleagues, sugar or milk.
• Place — where. at home, in the park.
• Time — when. at 7.30am, every day, on Saturdays.

Joining two sentences

Add a conjunction at the end (the 12th slot) and start the next sentence on a new line:

• The mouse should hide her cheese in the cupboard, or the cat will find it, because she is a very clever hunter.
• She hadn’t broken any rules before today, and she really didn’t deserve the fine!

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5. OSSACOM — adjectives in order

When you stack two or more adjectives, they go in a fixed order. Native speakers feel this without thinking. Learners use the mnemonic OSSACOM:

Slot	Examples
Opinion	nice, lovely, beautiful, ugly, horrible
Size	big, small, tiny, huge, tall, short
Shape	round, square, oval, flat
Age	new, old, modern, ancient, young
Colour	red, blue, white, dark, pale
Origin	French, Italian, Maltese, Greek
Material	wooden, glass, plastic, cotton, metal

Worked examples

• An elegant (O) tall (S-size) antique (A) wooden (M) cabinet.
• A beautiful (O) small (S-size) old (A) brown (C) leather (M) bag.
• A delicious (O) big (S-size) round (S-shape) red (C) Italian (O-origin) pizza.
• A cute (O) tiny (S-size) young (A) black (C) kitten.
• A lovely (O) tall (S-size) young (A) French (O-origin) woman.

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6. Adverb position — where do adverbs go?

Adverb position depends on the type of adverb. There are three positions: front, middle, and end.

Type	Position	Example
Frequency (always, often, never, sometimes, usually)	Middle — before the main verb, after be	I often drink tea. / She is always late.
Manner (slowly, well, carefully, quietly)	End — after the verb / object	She drives carefully. / He speaks English well.
Place (here, there, outside, upstairs)	End — usually before time	The keys are upstairs.
Time (yesterday, now, today, last week)	End or front	I saw her yesterday. / Yesterday, I saw her.
Degree (very, really, quite, extremely)	Before the adjective or adverb it modifies	It’s very hot. / She runs extremely fast.

Frequency adverbs — middle position

The trickiest one for learners. Frequency adverbs sit before the main verb in most tenses, but after the verb be:

• I always drink coffee. (before main verb)
• She often arrives late. (before main verb)
• He never eats meat. (before main verb)
• I am always tired. (after “be”)
• She is often hungry. (after “be”)
• You are never on time! (after “be”)

With auxiliary verbs, the adverb goes between the auxiliary and the main verb:

• I have never been to Japan.
• She has always liked dogs.
• You should always tell the truth.

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7. Articles — a, an, the, or nothing?

The three little words that decide whether a noun is any noun, that specific noun, or nouns in general. Many languages don’t use articles, so this is one of the trickiest things for learners.

A or AN — first time you mention it

Use a/an with a singular countable noun when it’s not specific or it’s the first time you mention it.

• a — before a consonant sound: a book, a dog, a university, a European.
• an — before a vowel sound: an apple, an hour, an MP, an umbrella.
• The choice depends on the sound, not the letter. An hour (silent h, sounds like “our”). A university (sounds like “you-niversity”).

THE — specific or already known

Use the when the listener knows which one you’re talking about.

• Already mentioned: I saw a dog. The dog was big.
• Only one of them: the sun, the moon, the internet, the President.
• Specified by context: Open the door, please. (the one we’re both looking at)
• Superlatives: the best, the first, the tallest building.

No article (zero article) — general / plural / uncountable

• Plural countable in general: Dogs are friendly. Books are great.
• Uncountable in general: Water is essential. Coffee keeps me awake.
• Most countries, cities, languages, meals: I live in Malta. I speak English. I had breakfast. (But: the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands.)

Quick comparison

Sentence	Why
I’d like a coffee, please.	Any coffee — first mention.
The coffee here is amazing.	Specific (the coffee at this place).
I love coffee.	General — coffee in general.
She bought a car. The car is red.	First mention ? second mention.
Cats hate water.	Both general — no article.

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8. Subject–verb agreement — does the verb match?

The verb has to agree with its subject — singular subjects take a singular verb, plural subjects take a plural verb. The biggest danger zone is the third-person singular in present simple.

Present simple — the -s rule

Subject	Verb form	Example
I	like (no -s)	I like tea.
You	like (no -s)	You like tea.
He / She / It	likes (with -s)	She likes tea.
We	like (no -s)	We like tea.
They	like (no -s)	They like tea.

Spelling tweaks for he / she / it

• Most verbs: just add -s. work ? works, run ? runs.
• Verbs ending in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, -o: add -es. watch ? watches, do ? does, go ? goes.
• Verbs ending in consonant + y: change y to i and add -es. study ? studies, fly ? flies.
• Irregulars: have ? has, be ? is.

The verb “to be” — special case

Subject	Present	Past
I	am	was
You / We / They	are	were
He / She / It	is	was

Common agreement traps

• Everybody / everyone / nobody / someone = singular. Everybody is here. (not “are”)
• The news / mathematics / physics = singular. The news is good.
• Police / people = plural. The police are coming. Many people think so.
• A lot of / some of takes the verb of the noun after it: A lot of money is missing. A lot of people are here.

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9. Joining sentences & punctuation

Coordinating conjunctions — FANBOYS

The seven coordinators that join two equal sentences (independent clauses): For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. Use a comma before them when joining two complete sentences.

• I was tired, but I went to the gym.
• It started raining, so we cancelled the picnic.
• She likes coffee, and he likes tea.
• You can come, or you can stay home.

Subordinating conjunctions — adding a smaller clause

Because, although, while, when, if, since, until, as, before, after. They add a smaller clause to a main one.

• I stayed home because it was raining.
• When the bell rings, the lesson finishes.
• I’ll call you if I have time.
• Although she was tired, she finished the work.

If the subordinate clause comes first, put a comma after it. If it comes second, no comma.

Punctuation & capitalisation basics

• Capital letter at the start of every sentence.
• Capital letter for proper nouns: names, countries, cities, languages, days, months. Sarah, Malta, English, Monday, March.
• “I” is always a capital letter, even in the middle of a sentence.
• Full stop (.) at the end of a statement.
• Question mark (?) at the end of a question.
• Exclamation mark (!) for strong feeling or commands. Don’t overuse it.
• Comma (,) for: pauses, lists, before FANBOYS conjunctions, after subordinate clauses, after introductory words.
• Apostrophe (‘) for contractions (don’t, I’m) and possession (Sarah’s car).

Comma in lists — the Oxford comma

• I bought apples, bread, and milk. (comma before “and” — Oxford comma, common in US English)
• I bought apples, bread and milk. (no Oxford comma — common in UK English)

Both are correct. Pick one style and stay consistent.

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10. Common mistakes & practice

Top 10 mistakes at A1–B1

? Wrong	? Right	Why
She like coffee.	She likes coffee.	3rd person singular needs -s.
I am agree with you.	I agree with you.	“Agree” is already a verb — no am.
I went yesterday to the park.	I went to the park yesterday.	Place before time.
She is always late for the work.	She is always late for work.	No the before “work” in this expression.
I have 25 years.	I am 25 years old.	English uses “to be” for age.
It’s a old book.	It’s an old book.	“An” before vowel sound.
I always am tired.	I am always tired.	Frequency adverbs go after “be”.
The people is friendly.	The people are friendly.	“People” is plural.
I want a beautiful big old chair.	I want a beautiful big old chair. (actually OK) or: I want a beautiful, big old chair.	OSSACOM: Opinion ? Size ? Age. The order is correct here.
i love malta.	I love Malta.	“I” and proper nouns always capital.

Worksheet 1 — Identify the part of speech

For each underlined word, write the part of speech: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, or interjection.

1. The cat is sleeping.
2. She runs quickly.
3. The dog ran under the table.
4. I like coffee and tea.
5. Wow! That’s amazing.
6. This pizza is delicious.
7. He is my brother.
8. I walk to school every day.
9. The book on the shelf is mine.
10. I am tired but happy.

Worksheet 2 — Put the words in SVO order

Re-arrange each set of words to make a correct sentence.

1. cat / the / fish / eats ? ___
2. plays / Sarah / piano / the ? ___
3. my / loves / dog / chocolate ? ___
4. watch / I / TV / every / evening ? ___
5. cooks / Maria / dinner / for / her family ? ___
6. students / homework / their / do / the ? ___
7. at / arrived / nine / I / o’clock / the office ? ___
8. last / went / to / Italy / week / we ? ___

Worksheet 3 — OSSACOM adjective order

Put the adjectives in the right order before the noun.

1. (old / a / red / car) ? ___
2. (small / lovely / Italian / a / restaurant) ? ___
3. (green / a / silk / beautiful / dress) ? ___
4. (round / a / wooden / big / table) ? ___
5. (new / black / leather / a / shoes / pair of) ? ___
6. (young / French / a / friendly / student) ? ___
7. (tall / glass / modern / a / building) ? ___
8. (blue / cotton / nice / a / shirt) ? ___

Worksheet 4 — Articles (a / an / the / —)

Fill the gap with a, an, the, or — for no article.

1. I’d like ___ coffee, please.
2. ___ sun is shining today.
3. I love ___ pizza.
4. She bought ___ umbrella because it was raining.
5. Have you been to ___ Louvre in Paris?
6. ___ dogs are loyal animals.
7. I’ll meet you at ___ train station at six.
8. She is ___ doctor.
9. Can you pass me ___ salt, please?
10. I had ___ breakfast at eight.

Worksheet 5 — Adverb position

Put the adverb in brackets in the right place in the sentence.

1. I drink coffee. (usually) ? ___
2. She is late. (never) ? ___
3. They visit their grandparents. (often) ? ___
4. He drives. (carefully) ? ___
5. We go to the cinema. (sometimes) ? ___
6. The dog barks. (loudly) ? ___
7. I have eaten sushi. (never) ? ___
8. She speaks Italian. (fluently) ? ___

Worksheet 6 — Subject–verb agreement

Choose the correct verb form.

1. My brother (live / lives) in London.
2. The children (is / are) playing in the garden.
3. She (don’t / doesn’t) like spicy food.
4. Everybody (was / were) happy at the party.
5. The news (is / are) on at six.
6. I (am / is) very tired today.
7. People (think / thinks) it’s a good idea.
8. A lot of money (was / were) spent on the project.

Worksheet 7 — Build your own sentences (the slot table)

Use the empty slot table below. For each prompt, fill in the slots to make a complete sentence. Not every slot needs to be filled.

Subject	(Aux)	(adv)	Verb	Article	(adj)	Object	(prep)	Comp.	Place	Time
Prompt: someone you know, doing something they often do.
Prompt: an animal somewhere, doing something.
Prompt: something you did yesterday.
Prompt: a future plan.

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Built from Kyle Atkins’ classroom material on parts of speech and sentence structuring, with the slot table and OSSACOM mnemonic. Cross-references: Forming Questions · Prepositions · Modal Verbs