How to improve sentence structure in English

 

Tips to improve your sentence structure in English:

1. Focus on Word Order

Spanish word order is more flexible than English. Common mistakes include placing adjectives after nouns or misordering questions.

• Tip: Practice simple sentence structures (SVO: Subject-Verb-Object).
  • ❌ Is important to study. → ✅ It is important to study.
  • ❌ What means this word? → ✅ What does this word mean?

2. Avoid Direct Translations

Translating word-for-word often leads to errors. English and Spanish have different ways of expressing ideas.

• Tip: Think in English rather than translating from Spanish.
  • ❌ I have 20 years. → ✅ I am 20 years old.

3. Master Auxiliary Verbs

Spanish often omits auxiliary verbs like do, does, and did in questions and negatives.

• Tip: Practice forming correct questions and negatives aloud.
  • ❌ You like pizza? → ✅ Do you like pizza?
  • ❌ She not study English. → ✅ She does not study English.

4. Use Pronouns Explicitly

In Spanish, pronouns can be omitted, but in English, they are necessary.

• Tip: Make a habit of using subject pronouns.
  • ❌ Is my friend. → ✅ He is my friend.

5. Avoid Overusing “Is” or “Have”

Spanish speakers tend to overuse is or have in expressions.

• Tip: Learn alternative sentence structures.
  • ❌ Is raining. → ✅ It is raining.
  • ❌ She has hunger. → ✅ She is hungry.

6. Practice Sentence Expansion

Spanish sentences often contain long clauses, while English prefers shorter, direct sentences.

• Tip: Break down complex ideas into multiple sentences.
  • Instead of: The movie that we watched last night with my friends was very interesting and we all liked it a lot.
  • Try: We watched a movie last night. It was very interesting, and we all liked it a lot.

7. Read and Listen to Natural English

Exposure to well-structured sentences helps internalize patterns.

• Tip: Read books, listen to podcasts, or watch TV shows in English. Try repeating sentences aloud.

8. Use Speaking Prompts and Record Yourself

Speaking spontaneously helps build fluency, and listening to recordings helps identify mistakes.

• Tip: Answer open-ended questions daily, like:
  • What did you do yesterday?
  • What would you do if you won the lottery?

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Practice:

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1. Sentence Reordering (Word Order Practice)

🔹 Instructions: Read the scrambled words and say the correct sentence aloud.

1. always / breakfast / eats / my brother / at 7 a.m.
2. you / where / from / are
3. a / have / I / new / phone
4. yesterday / went / to the park / they
5. is / playing / my cousin / soccer / now

✅ Extension: Ask a partner to create scrambled sentences for you!

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2. Fix the Mistakes (Common Errors for Spanish Speakers)

🔹 Instructions: Correct the mistakes in these sentences and say them out loud.

1. ❌ She has 15 years.
2. ❌ Is raining today.
3. ❌ You like chocolate?
4. ❌ He never is late.
5. ❌ In my house there is a big dog.

✅ Extension: Create more sentences with mistakes and correct them.

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3. Pronoun Completion (Pronoun Practice)

🔹 Instructions: Fill in the missing subject pronoun and say the full sentence aloud.

1. ___ is my best friend. (Juan)
2. ___ are going to the store. (My parents)
3. ___ is very funny. (The movie)
4. ___ loves music. (My sister and I)
5. ___ are playing outside. (The children)

✅ Extension: Replace the pronouns with different subjects and say them aloud.

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4. Expanding Sentences (Fluency and Structure)

🔹 Instructions: Answer these questions with complete sentences. Try to add more details!

1. What do you do every morning?
2. What did you do last weekend?
3. What will you do if you travel to another country?
4. What do you like to do in your free time?
5. Why do you think learning English is important?

✅ Extension: Record your answers and listen to your sentence structure.

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5. Avoid Direct Translation (Think in English!)

🔹 Instructions: Say these sentences in English (without translating word-for-word).

1. Me gusta mucho el café.
2. Voy a hacer mi tarea después de la cena.
3. Ayer vi una película muy interesante.
4. Nosotros nunca vamos al cine los lunes.
5. Hace mucho frío afuera.

✅ Extension: Think of five more sentences in Spanish and say them in English. 

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