Basic English Learning Materials (Part 3)
1. Sentence Structure: The Building Blocks
A correct sentence in English must have at least a Subject (S) and a Verb (V). It must also express a complete thought.
A. Basic Word Order: The most common structure in English is S-V-O (Subject - Verb - Object).
Subject (S): Who or what does the action. (e.g., I, You, The cat, They)
Verb (V): The action or state of being. (e.g., eat, study, is, like)
Object (O): Who or what receives the action. (e.g., an apple, English, happy)
| Sentence Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| S + V | "Birds fly." "She smiled." |
| S + V + O | "I like pizza." "She plays the guitar." |
| S + V + Adjective | "He is tall." "The movie was boring." |
| S + V + Adverb | "She speaks quietly." "They arrived late." |
B. Types of Sentences:
Simple Sentence: One independent clause (one complete thought).
"I study English."
"The cat slept on the sofa."
Compound Sentence: Two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So).
"I wanted to go to the park, but it started to rain."
"She finished her work, so she went home."
Complex Sentence: One independent clause and one or more dependent clauses (a clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence). They are often joined by words like because, although, when, if, since, after.
"I was late because my alarm didn't go off."
"Although it was cold, we went for a walk."
2. Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs do not form their simple past tense or past participle by adding *-ed*. They change their spelling. You must memorize them.
Here is a list of some of the most common and important irregular verbs:
| Base Form (V1) | Simple Past (V2) | Past Participle (V3) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | been | adalah |
| become | became | become | menjadi |
| begin | began | begun | mulai |
| break | broke | broken | memecahkan |
| bring | brought | brought | membawa |
| build | built | built | membangun |
| buy | bought | bought | membeli |
| catch | caught | caught | menangkap |
| choose | chose | chosen | memilih |
| come | came | come | datang |
| do | did | done | melakukan |
| drink | drank | drunk | minum |
| drive | drove | driven | menyetir |
| eat | ate | eaten | makan |
| fall | fell | fallen | jatuh |
| feel | felt | felt | merasa |
| find | found | found | menemukan |
| fly | flew | flown | terbang |
| forget | forgot | forgotten | lupa |
| get | got | got/gotten | mendapatkan |
| give | gave | given | memberikan |
| go | went | gone | pergi |
| have | had | had | mempunyai |
| know | knew | known | tahu |
| leave | left | left | pergi/meninggalkan |
| make | made | made | membuat |
| meet | met | met | bertemu |
| pay | paid | paid | membayar |
| put | put | put | menaruh |
| read | read | read | membaca |
| run | ran | run | berlari |
| say | said | said | mengatakan |
| see | saw | seen | melihat |
| sell | sold | sold | menjual |
| send | sent | sent | mengirim |
| sing | sang | sung | menyanyi |
| sit | sat | sat | duduk |
| sleep | slept | slept | tidur |
| speak | spoke | spoken | berbicara |
| take | took | taken | mengambil |
| tell | told | told | memberitahu |
| think | thought | thought | berpikir |
| understand | understood | understood | mengerti |
| wear | wore | worn | memakai (baju) |
| write | wrote | written | menulis |
How they are used:
Simple Past (V2): For actions completely finished in the past.
"I ate breakfast at 7 AM." (Not ~~I eated~~)
Past Participle (V3): Used with helpers like have/has/had (for perfect tenses) or be (for passive voice).
"I have seen that movie." (Present Perfect Tense)
"The window was broken." (Passive Voice)
3. Transition Signals / Linking Words
Transition signals are words or phrases that connect ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. They help your writing and speech flow smoothly and logically.
| Function | Transition Signals | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adding Ideas | and, also, furthermore, moreover, in addition | "I like math. Furthermore, I enjoy physics." |
| Showing Contrast | but, however, although, even though, on the other hand | "It was raining. However, we still went out." |
| Showing Cause/Reason | because, since, as, due to | "I was tired because I didn't sleep well." |
| Showing Effect/Result | so, therefore, as a result, consequently | "It was cold, so I wore a jacket." |
| Showing Time/Sequence | first, then, next, after that, finally, meanwhile | First, boil the water. Then, add the pasta." |
| Giving Examples | for example, for instance, such as | "I like tropical fruits, such as mango and pineapple." |
| Summarizing/Concluding | in conclusion, to summarize, in summary, overall | "In conclusion, learning English requires practice." |
Punctuation Tip:
When a transition word connects two independent sentences, it is often followed by a comma (,).
"The test was difficult. However, I passed."
"I studied all night. Therefore, I was prepared."
