Clause Pattern: Subject – Verb – Direct Object – Adverbial (SVO_d A )

Understanding the construction and use of the subject – verb – direct object - adverbial clause pattern

This pattern consists of a subjectA noun phrase (a person or a thing) or a nominal clause normally placed before a verb phrase and which acts as the performer of the verb., a monotransitive verb,A verb which takes only a direct object realised by a noun phrase. a direct objectA direct object is the 'thing' which is directly affected by a transitive verb. It may be a noun, noun phrase, nominal clause, an ing-clause, a to-cause, or a pronoun. and an obligatory adverbialAn adverb phrase used to provide circumstantial information about a clause, to indicate the writer’s stance, or to link units of discourse by indicating their relationship.. (Mouse over the sentences to see information about the syntax.)

Usually the adverbial in these sentences is concerned with location and it cannot be removed (hence the obligatory) or moved elsewhere in the sentence - otherwise the sentence would be incomplete or not make sense.

• Imagine yousubject placetransitive verb a heavy bowling balldirect object in the centre of a trampolineobligatory adverbial – its mass bends the fabric, and it creates a dip. (Webb 2023)
• Twosubject returned to Canada and tooktransitive verb the virusdirect object thereobligatory adverbial. (Roossinck 2020)
• This makes you sneeze, even without yousubject having puttransitive verb somethingdirect object up your noseobligatory adverbial! (Johnson 2022)
• The cells in the retinasubject then sendtransitive verb messagesdirect object through the optic nerve, back towards the visual cortexobligatory adverbial . (Temple 2020)
• We have only managed to puttransitive verb astronautsdirect object on the Moonobligatory adverbial six times so far. (Whittaker 2021)
• Another helpful trait is that cockroachessubject laytransitive verb their eggsdirect object in little protective casesobligatory adverbial. (Lovett 2022)
• This is what happens when yousubject puttransitive verb waterdirect object into a kettleobligatory adverbial turn on the heat, and watch the steam floating out of the spout. (Bosi 2021)
• They have to make sure to then keeptransitive verb some waterdirect object behind the dam for people to useobligatory adverbial and lettransitive verb enough waterdirect object throughparticle of phrasal verb 'let through' to preserve the river habitat below the damobligatory adverbial. (Tarroja 2022)