Subject-verb-object (SVO)

Subject-verb-object is the most common way to make sentences.

I like chicken
(subject = I; verb = like; object = chicken)

Good writers, however, try not to use SVO too often, or find ways to improve it.

Examples of SVO

I go to the beach
He will read the book
The dog ate the cat

Simple Ways to Improve SVO

Easy ways to improve SVO include:
– add adjectives
– add a time phrase
– add a place
– add sub-clauses

Add adjectives

The children watched the grim scary movie.

I go to the beautiful sandy beach.

Add a time phrase

Every time it snows I go to the beach

Before next Tuesday, when the homework is due, he will read the book.

Two days ago, whilst the owners were out, the dog ate the cat.

Add a place

In an old house, with broken windows, the boys watched television

Under the white moon, the twins went swimming in the clear lake.

Add sub-clauses

I like chicken because it is the best food in the whole world.

I go to the beach in order to go swimming

The boys watched the television whilst they waited for their parents to come home.

Examples of sentences with more than SVO

Last Tuesday whilst the owners were out, in an old house with broken windows, the dog ate the cat.

During the storm last week, which raged over the dead city, in the old house with the broken windows, the boys watched the grim scary movie on television whilst they waited for their parents to come home.