Clause Pattern: Subject – Verb – Complement (SVC)

Understanding the construction and use of the subject – verb – complement clause pattern

This pattern consists of a subject, a monotransitive verb, and a complement clause. The complement clause may be a that-clause, a wh-clause, an infinitive clause, or an ing-clause.

We know that the Earth has had at least five major ice ages. (Su 2022)
Wherever we look, we can see that the seasons are changing. (Doddridge 2022)
Studies show that rising temperatures are already affecting precipitation, glaciers, weather patterns, tropical cyclone activity and severe storms. (Weatherhead 2021) (info)
We know that musical tastes begin to crystallize as early as age 13 or 14. (McAndrew 2019)
This shows that babies prefer infant-directed speech to adult-directed speech. (Lam-Cassettari 2019)

No one knows who invented music. (Dallman 2022)
There are a couple of ways we can try to tell how old a dinosaur was when it died. (Syme 2019)
Have you ever wondered why you feel sleepy? (Chronaki 2019
Nobody knows where human evolution will lead. (Simons 2021)
Everyone was then tested to see if they could remember what they had typed. (Noreen 2015)

They were asked to memorise both lists. (Noreen 2015)
Anyone can claim to be a journalist irrespective of their actual function. (Watson 2023)
Eat less meat and more vegetables, pulses and grains, and don’t forget to turn off the light when leaving a room or the water when shampooing. (Byskov 2019) (info)
Remember to check on elderly or frail neighbours. (Lopes, Power, and Crabtree 2020) (info)
So instead of avoiding products based on speculation, we need to take a holistic look at our own consumption habits. (Marty et al. 2023)

Other electrons keep running around in the atoms. (Abbas 2019)
First, the wood starts getting hotter. (Nolan 2019)
When the baby planet gets massive enough, the force of gravity begins crushing it, making it denser. (Laycock 2023)
In fact, studies have found that by the time we turn 33, most of us have stopped listening to new music. (McAndrew 2019)
I can remember being a baby. (Justice, Conway, and Akhtar 2018)

See more examples in the glossary