Here's a breakdown:
* Subject: The person or thing performing the action.
* Verb: The action being performed.
* Object: The person or thing that receives the action.
Example:
* Subject: The cat
* Verb: chased
* Object: the mouse.
Sentence: The cat chased the mouse.
Other word orders:
While SVO is the most common order in English, there are variations:
* Object-Verb-Subject (OVS): This is used for emphasis or a change in focus. Example: "The mouse, the cat chased."
* Verb-Subject-Object (VSO): This is less common and mainly used in specific sentence types (like questions: "Did the cat chase the mouse?").
* Adverbials: These can appear in different positions within a sentence, modifying the verb or other parts of the sentence.
Important Notes:
* English sentence structure is quite flexible, and there are always exceptions to the general rules.
* Sentence structure can be influenced by factors like emphasis, formality, and style.
* Understanding sentence structure helps with understanding the meaning and flow of text.