Arabic and English Sentence Patterns: A Comparative Guide

55 | P a g e TENSE AND TIME TENSE AND ASPECT MOOD AND MODALITY CHARTS NOTES 6 SENTENCE TYPES 6.1 ENGLISH In English, one of the most practical standards for classifying sentences is the presence of transition, or movement, from the verb to an object. A clause or sentence can usually be categorized by whether its main verb requires an object (transitive) or not (intransitive) . 94 Within the transitive category is the sub-category active/passive, which is based on voice, the relationship of the subject to the verb. 95 In active sentences, the doer of the action is the subject; in passive sentences, the receiver of the action is the subject. There are three basic types of transitive active sentences: 1) including a direct object; 2) including a direct and indirect object; 3) including a direct object and object complement (a word, phrase, or clause modifying the direct object). There is only one type of transitive passive sentence, in which the subject receives (rather than performs) the action of the verb. There are two types of intransitive sentence: 1) including a linking verb such as be , taste , smell , seem , which connects the subject to a predicate noun, predicate adjective, or adverbial of place or time; 2) including a complete action, one in which there is no movement, and no connection with any object, predicate noun, or predicate adjective (adverbials can still be used). 6.2 ARABIC Arabic sentences are most often categorized according to the placement of the verb. This system yields only two major types: verbal and nominal. 96 In MSA, verbal sentences begin with a verb; nominal sentences do not. Nominal sentences may include a verb after the subject, or have an implied verb. The latter structure is equivalent to the intransitive linking sentence in English and