Editing English grammar (section)

==Clause and sentence structure==
{{Main|English clause syntax}}
A typical [[sentence (linguistics)|sentence]] contains one [[independent clause]] and possibly one or more [[dependent clause]]s, although it is also possible to link together sentences of this form into longer sentences, using coordinating conjunctions (see above). A clause typically contains a [[subject (grammar)|subject]] (a noun phrase) and a [[predicate (grammar)|predicate]] (a verb phrase in the terminology used above; that is, a verb together with its objects and complements). A dependent clause also normally contains a subordinating conjunction (or in the case of relative clauses, a relative pronoun, or phrase containing one).

===Word order===
English word order has moved from the Germanic [[V2 word order|verb-second (V2) word order]] to being almost exclusively [[subject–verb–object]] (SVO). The combination of SVO order and use of [[auxiliary verbs]] often creates clusters of two or more verbs at the center of the sentence, such as ''he had hoped to try to open it''. In most sentences, English marks grammatical relations only through word order. The subject constituent precedes the verb and the object constituent follows it. The [[Object–subject–verb]] (OSV) may on occasion be seen in English, usually in the [[future tense]] or used as a contrast with the conjunction "but", such as in the following examples: "Rome I shall see!", "I hate oranges, but apples I'll eat!".<ref>{{cite book| last = Crystal| first = David| author-link = David Crystal| title = The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language | edition = 2nd| year = 1997| publisher = Cambridge University Press| location = Cambridge| isbn = 0-521-55967-7}}</ref>

===Questions===
Like many other Western European languages, English historically allowed [[question]]s to be formed by [[inversion (grammar)|inverting]] the positions of the verb and [[subject (grammar)|subject]]. Modern English permits this only in the case of a small class of verbs ("[[special verb]]s"), consisting of auxiliaries as well as forms of the [[copula (linguistics)|copula]] ''be'' (see [[subject–auxiliary inversion]]). To form a question from a sentence which does not have such an auxiliary or copula present, the auxiliary verb ''do'' (''does'', ''did'') needs to be inserted, along with inversion of the word order, to form a question (see [[do-support|''do''-support]]). For example:
* She can dance. → Can she dance? (inversion of subject ''she'' and auxiliary ''can'')
* I am sitting here. → Am I sitting here? (inversion of subject ''I'' and copula ''am'')
* The milk goes in the fridge. → Does the milk go in the fridge? (no special verb present; ''do''-support required)

The above concerns [[yes–no question]]s, but inversion also takes place in the same way after other questions, formed with [[interrogative word]]s such as ''where'', ''what'', ''how'', etc. An exception applies when the interrogative word is the subject or part of the subject, in which case there is no inversion. For example:
* I go. → Where do I go? (''wh''-question formed using inversion, with ''do''-support required in this case)
* He goes. → Who goes? (no inversion, because the question word ''who'' is the subject)

Inversion does not apply in [[indirect question]]s: ''I wonder where he is'' (not *''... where is he''). Indirect yes–no questions can be expressed using ''if'' or ''whether'' as the interrogative word: ''Ask them whether/if they saw him''.

[[Negative (grammar)|Negative]] questions are formed similarly; however, if the verb undergoing inversion has a [[English contractions|contraction]] with ''not'', then it is possible to invert the subject with this contraction as a whole. For example:
* John is going. (affirmative)
* John is not going. / John isn't going. (negative, with and without contraction)
* Isn't John going? / Is John not going? (negative question, with and without contraction respectively)

See also {{slink|English auxiliaries and contractions|Contractions and inversion}}.

===Dependent clauses===
The syntax of a dependent clause is generally the same as that of an independent clause, except that the dependent clause usually begins with a subordinating conjunction or relative pronoun (or phrase containing such). In some situations (as already described) the conjunction or relative pronoun ''that'' can be omitted. Another type of dependent clause with no subordinating conjunction is the conditional clause formed by inversion (see below).

===Other uses of inversion===
The clause structure with an inverted subject and verb, used to form questions as described above, is also used in certain types of declarative sentences. This occurs mainly when the sentence begins with adverbial or other phrases that are essentially negative or contain words such as ''only'', ''hardly'', etc.: ''Never have I known someone so stupid; Only in France can such food be tasted''.

In elliptical sentences (see below), inversion takes place after ''so'' (meaning "also") as well as after the negative ''neither'': ''so do I, neither does she''.

Inversion can also be used to form conditional clauses, beginning with ''should'', ''were'' (subjunctive), or ''had'', in the following ways:
*''should I win the race'' (equivalent to ''if I win the race'');
*''were he a soldier'' (equivalent to ''if he were a soldier'');
*''were he to win the race'' (equivalent to ''if he were to win the race'', i.e. ''if he won the race'');
*''had he won the race'' (equivalent to ''if he had won the race'').
Other similar forms sometimes appear but are less common. There is also a construction with subjunctive ''be'', as in ''be he alive or dead'' (meaning "no matter whether he is alive or dead").

Use of inversion to express a third-person imperative is now mostly confined to the expression ''long live X'', meaning "let X live long".

===Imperatives===
In an [[imperative mood|imperative]] sentence (one giving an order), there is usually no subject in the independent clause: ''Go away until I call you''. It is possible, however, to include ''you'' as the subject for emphasis: '''''You''' stay away from me''.

===Elliptical constructions===
Many types of elliptical construction are possible in English, resulting in sentences that omit certain redundant elements. Various examples are given in the article on [[Ellipsis (linguistics)|Ellipsis]].

Some notable elliptical forms found in English include:
*Short statements of the form ''I can'', ''he isn't'', ''we mustn't''. Here the verb phrase (understood from the context) is reduced to a single auxiliary or other "special" verb, negated if appropriate. If there is no special verb in the original verb phrase, it is replaced by ''do/does/did'': ''he does'', ''they didn't''.
*Clauses that omit the verb, in particular those like ''me too'', ''nor me'', ''me neither''. The latter forms are used after negative statements. (Equivalents including the verb: ''I do too'' or ''so do I''; ''I don't either'' or ''neither do I''.)
*[[Tag question]]s, formed with a special verb and pronoun subject: ''isn't it?''; ''were there?''; ''am I not?''