Affirmative sentences in English

Affirmative sentences are sentences in the English that express the subject of speech, thoughts, and so on. Their opposites are negative sentences. For the English, a direct word order is typical in a narrative sentence, that is, the subject comes before the predicate, after the predicate the direct object is used:

• Ann likes tennis

Between the predicate and the direct object, an indirect object is placed:

• Не will, give you the book

A prepositional suffix is placed after the predicate or after the direct object:

• We received a letter from him

As a rule, adverbial are used after adjuncts or, if there are no adjuncts, after a predicate:

• Ann prepares homework in the evening

Adverbials of different types are used in the following sequence:

• adverbial of time after adverbial of place:
  • Не was at home yesterday
• adverbial of the method of action before the adverbial of place and time:
  • Не worked well yesterday

In affirmative sentences, the direct word order is used in the following cases:

• If the sentence begins with the words here, there, now, then, up, off, out, down, and the subject is expressed by a noun or pronoun:
  • There she comes
• When the predicate has an object or the subject is expressed by a personal pronoun:
  • І disagree, he said
  • І disagree, Dan said to his friend

Reverse word order, or inversion, can occur in such cases:

• If the sentence starts with the word there:
  • There was a green book on the table
• In the words of the author after direct speech, when the subject is expressed by a noun, the predicate is expressed by a verb in Present or Simple:
  • І disagree, said Dan.

Affirmative Sentence in English | English Grammar | Lecture 25 | JR Tutorials |