Lesson 2: Run the sentence engine

Control subjects, finite verbs, auxiliaries, negation, and question word order.

~45 MINUTES · CORE CLAUSE GRAMMAR

Find the finite verb

A main clause needs a subject and a finite verb. The finite element carries tense or modality: She works, She is working, She can work. English statements normally use subject + verb + other elements.[1]

Auxiliaries operate the clause

statement  Maya finished the report.
negative   Maya did not finish the report.
question   Did Maya finish the report?
wh-question When did Maya finish the report?

Be, have, and modal verbs already act as auxiliaries: Is Maya working? Has Maya finished? Can Maya finish? When no auxiliary exists, insert do; tense moves to do, so the main verb returns to base form.

Repair common structures

He not works here. → He does not work here.

What this means? → What does this mean?

Why she is late? → Why is she late?

Six-form drill

Take one verb phrase and build: positive statement, negative statement, yes/no question, wh-question, short answer, and command. Repeat in present simple, past simple, and one modal form.

Controlled practice

  1. Negate: “Lea manages the project.”
  2. Make yes/no question from same sentence.
  3. Ask who, what, when, and why questions.
  4. Transform “They were waiting” into negative and question.
  5. Transform “He has finished” into negative and question.
  6. Transform “Mina can join” into negative and question.
  7. Correct: “Where she works?”
  8. Correct: “Did he finished?”
Check controlled answers
  1. Lea does not manage the project.
  2. Does Lea manage the project?
  3. Keep wh-word first, then auxiliary, subject, base verb.
  4. They were not waiting. Were they waiting?
  5. He has not finished. Has he finished?
  6. Mina cannot join. Can Mina join?
  7. Where does she work?
  8. Did he finish?

Shortcut that works

Find auxiliary first. If none exists in present or past simple, insert do; then move or negate auxiliary, never main verb.

Production lab

Retrieval practice

Your win: 18 clause forms built from one verb without word-order errors.

Primary source

Read Cambridge Grammar Today on clause types, then use the grammar map without looking back.

Ask your teaching agent to give one base sentence and check all six transformations.

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