The syntactic structure that underlies the teaching of the basic sentence patterns is

• A. Structure
• B. Prediction
• C. Conjugation
• D. Tense

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is that teaching basic sentence patterns relies on prediction. When instructors present a familiar sentence pattern, learners actively forecast the parts that belong in each position, using the pattern as a scaffold. For example, with a simple Subject–Verb–Object frame, students anticipate the object that completes the meaning, which helps them internalize how sentences are built. This predictive approach strengthens their sense of syntax and fluency more than focusing only on verb forms (conjugation) or time (tense), or simply naming a structural label. So predicting what fits next in a pattern is the underlying way we teach basic sentence structures.