Unit 1: THE BASIC SENTENCE
Every sentence has a subject and a verb.
Subject and verb
works is not a sentence because we do not learn who or what works; there is a verb, but no subject.John is not a sentence; there is no verb.
John works is a sentence; there is a subject (John) and a verb (works).
John, the paramedic is not a sentence; there is no verb. We do not learn how John and the paramedic go together.
Here are some sentences:
[s]:Subject, [v]:Verb
[s] John [v] is a paramedic.
[s] John [v] works with paramedics.
[s] John [v] is talking to a paramedic.
[s] The new hospital [v] is the busiest in the city.
[s] The medical clinic on 5th Avenue [v] is very old.
Word order
If a sentence tells us something (a statement), the verb goes after the subject. If a sentence asks us something (a question), one word of the verb goes before the subject.
[s]:Subject, [v]:Verb
STATEMENT [s] John [v] is feeling sick.
QUESTION [v] Is [s] John [v] feeling sick?