In our first ever episode we explore the question of how language influences thought. But if it does... Does it mean that some languages are better for certain things than others?

The Age of Humans

Episode 1: Are some languages better than others?

Welcome to our first lesson! Today, we’re starting with the basics of sentence structure. Every sentence in English has three key parts: a subject, a verb, and an object. Let’s dive into what each part means and how they work together.

The subject is the person, place, or thing that the sentence is about. The verb shows the action or state of being. The object receives the action of the verb. For example, in the sentence "I eat apples," "I" is the subject, "eat" is the verb, and "apples" is the object.

Let’s look at some more examples. "She reads books." Here, "she" is the subject, "reads" is the verb, and "books" is the object. Another example is, "They play soccer." In this sentence, "they" is the subject, "play" is the verb, and "soccer" is the object.

Now, let’s practice together. Repeat after me: "I eat apples." Great! Now let’s try another one: "I watch TV." Excellent! Next, we’ll create some sentences together. I’ll say, "I [verb] [object]," and you can choose your own verb and object to complete the sentence. For example, "I see flowers," or "I like pizza."

Let’s make our practice a bit more creative. Think about activities you do every day. For instance, "I drink coffee," or "I read the newspaper." You could also say, "I walk to school," or "I write emails." Can you add a few more examples of things you do regularly? Practice saying them aloud to build confidence in using the Subject + Verb + Object structure. Try to include activities from different parts of your day, like morning routines, work tasks, or evening hobbies. Think about what you do when you wake up, such as "I brush my teeth," or "I make the bed." Then consider what you might do later, like "I cook dinner," or "I watch TV before bed."