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Sentences

When we speak, we don't just use words. We put the words together and build a sentence.
A sentence is a bit like a puzzle: all parts have to fit.
You put them in the right place, and you turn them around to match them
with the other parts.
When we build a sentence we do the same thing with the words that we use:
we put them in the right place
and we give them the correct form to match with the other words.
There are different sorts of words, but in a sentence
the most important one is the verb.
Because the verb carries the meaning of what is said.
That meaning is made clear by the verb's place and form.

Have a look at a few examples:

  • He is 15 years old. (I'm telling you that because I know that)
  • Is she 15 years old? (I'm asking because I don't know)
 The second is a question, because the verb is in a different place.

And what about these examples?

  • She has been my friend for years.
  • He was my friend for years.
 The first means that she still is my friend,
the second says he isn't my friend anymore.
Here it is the form of the verb that makes this clear.