ASL on the WEB

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Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Here, I'm going to have a quick review of sentence structure. Don't worry, there's no test after, but hopefully this will help to show you how many of the sentences in ASL are set up. I'm giving credit to "A Basic Course in American Sign Language" by Tom Humphries, Carol Padden, and Terrence J. O'Rourke for many of the structures.

Basic Structure Review

Structure #1. Object; Subject; Verb
This is how many ASL sentences are set up. First, you show what you're talking about (i.e. a cat), then the subject (he/she/it), then the verb (jump). The sentence: Cat he jump.

Structure #2. Another version of the Object-Subject-Verb is Subject-Verb-Object.

Structure #3. Predicate Adjectives
Predicate Adjectives are I, me, you with the description of what it is (happy, smart, blonde). These are set up by way of putting the pronoun first, adjective next, then a repeat of the pronoun. The sentence: He short he.

Structure #4. Nouns and Pronouns
Pronouns are also used with nouns (people, place, or thing). Generally, the pronoun can act like the English version word 'the'. In this structure, either the noun or the pronoun can go first. The sentence: John he like me he or He John like me he.

Structure #5. Adjectives and Nouns
With these, both can appear either before or after the other. The sentence: I want home pretty I or I want pretty home I.

Structure #6. Tenses
Present, future, and past tenses are similar, except with the word "finish". With these, the tense is set up at the beginning of the sentence, before any nouns, adjectives, or pronouns. But when "finish" is used, it can be before or after a verb, but it is used to show that something has been done. The sentence: Yesterday/today/tomorrow me eat sandwich me. With finish: Sandwich eat finish or Sandwich finish eat.
Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

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Disclaimer: Much of what is on these pages has been fully researched and is true to the best of my knowledge. If you find an error, do not hesitate to email me and I will attempt to set it straight. Website created by Carrie De Ruyter, Sept 1999. Updated March 2005.