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ASL Grammar Rules: Learn Sentence Structure, Questions, Tense & More

Q: How does the source show tense?

The PDF emphasizes time indicators and tense markers and often places time information near the beginning of the sentence.

Want one easy place to review the major grammar ideas in this ASL grammar guide? Start here. Read the rule, see the English example, compare the ASL-style example, and jump straight to the topic you need.

This reader-friendly guide covers declarative sentence patterns, Yes/No questions, Wh-questions, rhetorical questions, negation, plurality, verbs, tense markers, adjectives, numbers, names, fingerspelling, conditionals, topicalization, prepositions, prefixes, and many more examples from the uploaded source.

Source: American Sign Language Grammar Rules, identified in the uploaded PDF as “Twelveth Draft: January 2008,” by Kevin Struxness, MA.

🧩 Grammar Patterns Sentence structure made easier to scan

❓ Question Types Yes/No, Wh- and rhetorical questions

⏰ Time & Tense See how the source handles time markers

✍️ Many Examples English → ASL-style source examples

Before you begin: This page reorganizes the uploaded January 2008 draft into a more readable web guide. The rules, labels, terminology, and examples below reflect that source. Some of the source is strongly prescriptive, and ASL use can vary by signer, region, community, and context. Use this as a study reference and combine it with visual instruction and Deaf-community learning resources.

1. Declarative ASL Sentence Structure

The source begins with declarative sentence structures. One of the most important takeaways is that it does not present ASL as having only one fixed word order. It lists Subject-Verb-Object as one possible structure and then gives several other arrangements using the same idea.

Core idea

Start with meaning, then notice how the source reorganizes the parts.

The PDF shows multiple orders with “I love apple pie,” making sentence pattern comparison one of the first skills in the document.

Sentence structure examples from the PDF

Pattern Subject-Verb-Object

Example I love apple pie.

Pattern Subject-Verb-Object-Subject

Example I love apple pie I.

Pattern Object-Subject-Verb

Example Apple pie I love.

Pattern Verb-Object-Subject

Example Love apple pie I.

Pattern Object-Verb-Subject

Example Apple pie love I.

Reader tip: Don’t try to memorize every pattern at once. First notice that the source allows different arrangements, then compare them later with its section on topicalization.

2. Questions in ASL

The source separates questions into Yes/No Questions, Wh-Questions, and Rhetorical Questions. It also pays close attention to non-manual markers such as eyebrow position, head position, shoulders, and how long the last sign is held.

Q = Yes/No Question WQ = Wh-Question RQ = Rhetorical Question

Yes/No Questions

For Yes/No questions, the source describes: raised eyebrows, a tilted or diagonal head with shoulders forward, and holding the last sign a little longer.

Yes/No question examples

English Do you want some ice cream?

ASL example You want ice cream?

Alternative Do you want some ice cream?

ASL example Ice cream you want some?

English Are you deaf?

ASL example You deaf?

English Have you met Alexander Graham Bell?

ASL example You finish meet AGB?

English Have you been there?

ASL example You finish touch there?

Wh-Questions

The source includes who, what, where, why, how, which, how many, and how much. It marks these with squeezed eyebrows and a tilted or diagonal head.

Wh-question examples

English What time is it?

ASL examples What time? / Time?

English Who is Laurent Clerc?

ASL examples Who Laurent Clerc? / Laurent Clerc who? / Who Laurent Clerc who?

Important source detail: The PDF explains that the non-manual markers may cover the whole question or only the position of the Wh-word depending on where the Wh-word is placed.

Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical questions are questions the signer answers themselves. The source describes raised eyebrows with the head tilted down or diagonally and says this form should not be overused.

Rhetorical question examples

English I had pancakes for breakfast.

ASL example I breakfast what? pancake.

English Larry became deaf from a bout of spinal meningitis.

ASL example Larry become deaf how? spinal meningitis.

English Mother could not come because she was sick.

ASL example Mother not come why? she sick.

Quick Review

When reading the source, ask yourself which kind of question is being used:

Yes/No Think: raised eyebrows + question expecting yes/no.

Wh-Question Think: who, what, when, where, why, how, which.

Rhetorical Think: the signer asks and then answers.

3. Exclamation, Affirmation and Negation

Exclamation

The source describes excitement, surprise, or anger with stronger signing intensity, faster signing, and sometimes head nodding.

Examples: Good! / I pass class! / He kick me!

Affirmation

The source uses the symbol Y for head nodding. “Tom can sign ASL” is given as an affirmative example.

Negation

The source uses squeezed eyebrows plus a headshake and discusses signs such as not, no/none, can’t, won’t/refuse, and a special emphatic “don’t.”

Negation examples

English I don’t have time.

ASL examples I not have time. / I have no/none time. / Time have no/none I.

English He no longer works here.

ASL example He no more work here.

The PDF also notes that the sign not may sometimes be left out while the negative facial expression is preserved. It further explains that English negative prefixes such as un-, im-, in-, and dis- may be represented with “not” in the source’s examples.

4. Double Pronouns, Articles and Determiners

Double Pronouns

The source says single pronouns are fine, while a repeated pronoun can also appear in the same sentence. It specifically says not to mouth the repeated pronoun.

Pronoun examples

English I like Gallaudet.

ASL example I like Gallaudet I.

English Do you like ASL?

ASL example You like ASL you?

Articles / Determiners

The source generally recommends deleting a, an, and the, with exceptions when the word is part of a proper name or when pointing/specifying an object or person.

Article examples

English I have the TTY.

ASL example I have TTY.

English You have a pager.

ASL example You have pager.

English The car needs repair.

ASL example Point-car need repair.

5. Plurality in the Source

The PDF says English often prefers plural forms while ASL may use a singular form unless plurality is shown in another way. It then gives several ways to express plural meaning.

Use a number when the count is known.

Use a quantifier such as some, many, several, both, or all.

Use a group/cluster expression or demonstrative pronoun.

Repeat a noun sign in certain contexts.

Use plural pronouns such as we, they, or all-of-you.

Use classifiers or movement where the source gives that strategy.

Plurality examples

English How many classes are you taking?

ASL example How-many class you take?

English I am going to the movies.

ASL example I go movie.

English We want more potato chips.

ASL example We want more potato chip.

English I have two ASL poetry books.

ASL example I have two ASL poem book.

English We go home on Fridays.

ASL example Every-Friday we go home. / We go home every-Friday.

6. Verb Rules: “To Be,” Modals, Tense, Infinitives and Direction

The verb section is one of the largest parts of the PDF. It covers English “to be” verbs, modals, tense, endings, infinitives, participles, directional verbs, noun-verb pairs, passive voice, and abbreviated verbs.

State of Being / “To Be”

The source states that ASL does not use English “to be” verbs in the same way. It lists alternatives involving self-pronouns, become, past/before, future/will, and now/present.

“To be” examples

English The captioned movie is thumbs up.

ASL example Caption movie thumb++ up.

Source exception She is a student.

Example form She herself student.

Modals

The source says a modal can appear before or after the main verb, or on both sides for emphasis.

Modal examples

English You should get an interpreter.

ASL example 1 You should get interpreter.

Alternative You should get an interpreter.

ASL example 2 You get interpreter should.

Emphasis You should get an interpreter.

ASL example 3 You should get interpreter should.

Present Tense and English Verb Endings

The source says present-tense forms can be used in past or present contexts and discusses dropping many English inflectional endings.

Tense and ending examples

English My mother received a hearing dog.

ASL example Mother finish get hearing dog.

English Kathy wants to go to NTID.

ASL example Kathy want go NTID.

English You look surprised.

ASL example You look surprise.

English They came here recently.

ASL example Recent they come.

Infinitives and Participles

The PDF says ASL does not use the English infinitive marker to in the same way and gives several compressed examples.

Infinitive and participle examples

English They need to complete the task.

ASL example They need finish job.

English The kids want to play.

ASL example They kid want play.

English Bob keeps thinking.

ASL example Bob continue think++.

English Stop eating.

ASL example Eat++ stop.

Directional Verbs

The source lists look, send, pay, meet, give, bring, move, help, tell, show, call, ask, throw, drive, and teach as examples of verbs that can involve directional movement. It also lists go/come as more limited and verbs such as read, eat, want, play, need, and feel as non-directional.

Directional verb example

English I will meet you at the deaf club.

ASL example I-meet-you there/at deaf #club (clb).

Active vs. Passive Voice

The source says ASL generally does not use passive voice and gives active-style alternatives, while listing a few “by” exceptions.

Passive → active-style examples

English My house was sold by the realtor.

ASL example Realtor sold my house finish.

English I was told by someone.

ASL example Someone told me.

English This animal is called barn owl.

ASL example Point-index-finger animal call barn owl.

7. Time Indicators and Tense Markers

The source makes time indicators a major organizing principle. In many examples, the time expression appears at the beginning of the sentence and is marked with raised eyebrows.

TI = Time Indicator

Time indicator examples

English We visited Deaf West Theatre yesterday.

ASL example Yesterday we visit Deaf West Theatre.

English Gallaudet University opened in 1864.

ASL example Back 1864 Gallaudet University open.

English We will leave tomorrow.

ASL example Tomorrow we leave.

English I worked three hours.

ASL example I work three hour.

English We attend a NAD conference every two years.

ASL example We attend NAD conference every-two-year.

The PDF also gives replacements such as Past/back 1966, Future 2015, This morning, and last/this/next day or date expressions.

8. Adjective and Noun Phrases

The source says an adjective can appear before a noun, after a noun, or in both places for emphasis. When there is more than one adjective, it recommends putting the adjectives after the noun.

Adjective examples

English We are eating a hot meal.

ASL examples We eat hot meal. / We eat meal hot. / We eat hot meal hot.

English I hate long and boring movies.

ASL example Movie long, bore, I yuck.

English My family loves warm, fresh peach cobbler.

ASL example My family kiss-fist peach cobbler warm, fresh.

English I have a new car.

ASL example I have car new.

9. Time, Age, Years, Numbers and Names

Time

The source gives “Local news announce time 6:00 night” for “The local news is broadcast at 6:00 p.m.”

Age

For “She is ten years old,” it gives “She age ten” or “She old ten.”

Year

It says not to mention “thousand” when the number is a year, giving 2004 as the example.

Numbers

For an ordinary number such as 1,600, the PDF says “thousand” must be signed.

Names

It gives “His first name Leo, last Jacobs” for “His name is Leo Jacobs.”

Frequency

It gives expressions such as every-morning, every-Friday, and every-two-year.

More number and name examples

English She is ten years old.

ASL examples She age ten. / She old ten.

English I just met Colleen, a new friend.

ASL example Recent I meet new friend name Colleen.

English His name is Leo Jacobs.

ASL example His first name Leo, last Jacobs.

Want a separate practice page for numbers? Visit Numbers in ASL 1–100.

10. Fingerspelling

The PDF says fingerspelling is used for proper names and for words that have no signs. It also specifically says not to mouth the name letter by letter.

Fingerspelling example

English Laura Bridgman was a famous deaf-blind woman.

ASL example Laura Bridgman-fs famous deaf-blind woman.

Practice Fingerspelling on ASLTyping

Use the PDF rule as a starting point, then practice visually with these tools.

ASL Fingerspelling Generator Type names and words →

Fingerspell Your Name Practice your name →

ASL Alphabet A–Z Review all letters →

11. Mouth Morphemes

The source says there are more than 100 mouth movements in ASL that can replace or complement English adjectives and adverbs. It gives several notated examples.

Mouth morpheme examples from the source

English I like to drink a large glass of tea.

ASL example I like drink cha tea.

English My sister finally became a teacher of the deaf.

ASL example My sister pah become teacher for deaf.

English You are struggling with the chemistry book.

ASL example You struggle-sta-sta with chemistry book.

English Bob hardly works.

ASL example Bob work little.

12. Conditional / Adverbial Clauses

The PDF groups words such as although, as, as long as, after, before, during, if, once, suppose, until, when, and while under conditional/adverbial clauses. Its main rule is to place the conditional clause at the beginning and use raised eyebrows.

CC = Conditional Clause

Conditional examples

English I learned ASL when I was seven.

ASL example When I age/old seven, I learn ASL.

English If you know two languages, you are bilingual.

ASL example If you know two language, you bilingual.

English Once in England, Rev. Thomas Gallaudet traveled.

ASL example Arrive England, Rev. Thomas Gallaudet travel.

The source also notes that a conditional clause can sometimes occur later when the sequence is time-sensitive.

13. “And” and Compound Connections

The source says “and” is used sparingly, especially for actions. It gives several alternatives: listing, using plus, shifting the shoulders, or simply omitting “and.”

“And” examples

English My brother likes red and white.

ASL examples My brother like red and white. / My brother like 1) red, 2) white. / My brother like red plus white.

English Short and sweet.

ASL example Short, sweet.

14. Possessives and “There Is / There Are”

Possessives

The source gives possessive constructions such as “My dog’s name Salsa” and “My sister her name Brenda.” It also drops apostrophes from several common expressions, while preserving them in certain proper names.

Possessive examples

English My dog’s name is Salsa.

ASL example My dog’s name Salsa.

English My sister’s name is Brenda.

ASL example My sister her name Brenda.

There Is / There Are

The PDF says these English phrases are represented with existential have in its examples.

Existential examples

English There is a book on the shelf.

ASL examples Shelf-there have book. / Book have shelf-there.

English There is a big sale at Sears.

ASL example Sears have big sale.

15. Intensifiers: Very, Really, Too, Pretty and More

The source discusses very, quite, rather, more, most, really, somewhat, less, too, and pretty. It says “very” can be represented through stronger or faster adjective movement with stronger facial expression, and it also gives alternatives such as wow, real/really, or too much/extreme.

Intensifier examples

English I was very sick last week.

ASL example Last week I very-sick.

English Death Valley is pretty hot in the summer.

ASL example During summer, Death Valley wow hot.

English The pie is too sweet for me.

ASL example Pie too sweet for me.

16. Topicalization / Topic-Comment Construction

The source uses a T marker with raised eyebrows and a raised head. It says that, in many cases, the main idea can be placed at the beginning of the ASL sentence and that there should not be more than one topic marker in one sentence.

T = Topic

Topic-comment examples

English I am a member of the NAD.

ASL example NAD me member.

English The World Games of the Deaf took place in Los Angeles in 1985.

ASL example WGD past 1985, happen there LA.

Want a shorter focused guide? Visit ASL Sentence Structure for Beginners.

17. Lexical-Based Signs, Pronouns and Referents

Lexical-Based / Fingerspelled Loan Signs

The source says there are modified fingerspelled signs represented with a pound sign and gives examples such as #job, #bank, #busy, #early, #ng, #back, #or, #car, #gas, and #bus. It also says the pound sign is not used for spelling names.

Lexicalized sign examples

English The TTY is not any good.

ASL example TTY #ng.

English You did an outstanding job.

ASL example You outstanding #job.

Pronominalization

The PDF describes pronouns through pointing. If the person or object is not present, it recommends choosing a location in signing space and keeping that location consistent as the referent throughout the conversation.

Referent example

English Bob was a great guy. I miss him.

ASL example Bob he-right great guy. I miss him-right.

Reflexive Pronouns and Direct Address

The source says reflexive pronouns can function as pronouns or linking forms and that a person’s name is generally not used in direct address.

Direct address example

English Bill, can you see me?

ASL example Hey, can you see me?

18. Prepositions and Classifiers

The source says prepositions are sometimes omitted and gives a general rule of keeping them mainly when needed for location. It also says some spatial relationships are embedded in classifiers.

Preposition examples

English Class of 2005

ASL example Class 2005

English See you on Monday.

ASL example See you Monday.

English I am proud of you.

ASL example I proud you.

English The book is under the table.

ASL example Table CL:B Book CL:B-under.

English See you at the park.

ASL example See you there park.

19. Fingerspelled “It,” Compounds and “Self”

Fingerspelled “It”

The source lists phrases such as forget it, worth it, do it, make it, and go for it.

Dropping “It”

It also gives examples where “it” is dropped, such as “Take it easy” → “Take easy” or “Take-easy.”

Compounds

The source says repetitive movement may be reduced in compounds such as bookstore, Boy Scout, peanut butter, and boy and girl.

Self

It describes “self” as normally repeated, with one-time movement possible for a command or emphasis.

20. Early / Mid / Late, Prefixes and Word Substitutions

Early, Mid and Late

The source maps general time expressions to more specific ones: early in the day → morning, late in the day → afternoon/evening, mid-year → summer, late 1990s → 1997–1999, early 2007 → winter 2007, and late 2007 → fall 2007.

“Not Only … But Also …”

Source example

English We sell not only coffee, but also sandwiches, ice cream, etc.

ASL example We sell coffee plus sandwich, ice-cream, etc.

Prefixes

English Prefix	ASL Word in Source	Example	Source Output
mis-	wrong	mismanage	wrong manage
un- / im- / in-	not	imbalance	not balance
dis-	not	disapprove	not approve/accept
re-	again	reuse	again use

Name / Word Substitutions

The final pages contain many substitutions and shortened forms. Here is a reader-friendly selection from the source.

English Expression	Source Substitution
Las Vegas / Vegas	LV
Six Flags Magic Mountain	MM
Public School	Hearing School
4th of July	July 4th
Household	Family
Department of Rehabilitation (DOR)	Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
Headquarters	HQ
Humans	People
Do the dishes	Wash dish
This is for real	True business
Hard-boiled eggs	Water-boil egg
Refrigerator / fridge	Ref
Two dozens	24
Alphabet	ABC
Known for	Famous
Someday	Future
Sibling	Brother/Sister
Baby shower	Baby party
Fix the bed	Make bed
Fix salad	Make salad
A year and a half	1 1/2 year
Alexander Graham Bell	AGB
Decade	Ten Year
What went wrong?	What happen wrong? / what wrong?
Besides / Further	Plus / what more / other
Hence / Thus	So

Practice What You Learn with Free ASLTyping Tools

Reading grammar is useful, but practice makes the page more actionable. These ASLTyping pages connect naturally with the topics above.

ASL Gloss Translator Explore ASL-style gloss, typing, font, and image features. Open ASL Gloss Translator → ASL Fingerspelling Generator Type names and words and practice fingerspelling with multiple ASL font styles. Open Fingerspelling Generator → Fingerspell Your Name in ASL Practice the ASL alphabet letters in your own name. Practice Your Name → ASL Practice Games Review beginner ASL through interactive practice activities. Play ASL Games → ASL Alphabet A–Z Review all 26 American Sign Language alphabet letters. Learn ASL Alphabet → Numbers in ASL Practice American Sign Language numbers from 1 to 100. Learn ASL Numbers → Basic ASL Words Continue with common beginner vocabulary and everyday signs. Explore Basic ASL Words → ASL Sentence Structure Read a focused beginner guide to ASL word order and sentence patterns. Learn ASL Sentence Structure → Free ASL Worksheets Continue learning with printable beginner practice resources. Explore Free Worksheets → All Free ASL Tools Browse the complete ASLTyping collection of free learning tools. Explore Free ASL Tools → ASL Topics for Beginners Explore alphabet, numbers, words, greetings, grammar, worksheets, and more. Browse ASL Topics → ASL Resource Library Find additional ASL learning resources and educational material. Open Resource Library →

Frequently Asked Questions About ASL Grammar

Can I learn all ASL grammar from one page?

This page brings together the major topics found in the uploaded 2008 grammar draft so you can review them in one place. It is still a study reference, not a replacement for visual instruction or broader ASL learning.

Does ASL always use Subject-Verb-Object word order?

The uploaded source does not present ASL as using only one fixed word order. It lists Subject-Verb-Object as one declarative pattern and gives several other arrangements, as well as topic-comment constructions.

How does the source describe Yes/No questions?

It describes raised eyebrows, a tilted or diagonal head with shoulders forward, and holding the last sign slightly longer.

How does the source describe Wh-questions?

It uses squeezed eyebrows and a tilted or diagonal head and discusses how the non-manual marking can depend on the position of the Wh-word.

How does the source show tense?

The PDF emphasizes time indicators and tense markers. In many examples, time information is placed near the beginning, such as “Yesterday we visit…” or “Tomorrow we leave.”

What does the source say about English articles such as “a,” “an,” and “the”?

It generally recommends deleting them, while also listing exceptions for proper names and certain specifying or pointing contexts.

What does the PDF say about fingerspelling?

It says fingerspelling is used for proper names and words that have no signs and advises not mouthing a fingerspelled name letter by letter.

What is topicalization in this source?

The source describes a topic-comment construction in which the main idea can be placed at the beginning and marked with raised eyebrows and a raised head.

Is this a complete modern ASL grammar reference?

No. This page is a reader-friendly adaptation of the uploaded January 2008 draft. It preserves that source's terminology, examples, and framing. ASL usage can vary, so learners should combine written references with skilled signers, Deaf-community resources, and visual practice.

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