TYPES OF SENTENCES
In writing and speaking, there
are four basic types of sentences that we use for different purposes:
1 declarative sentences
2 interrogative sentences
3 imperative sentences
4 exclamatory sentences
These different kinds of sentences
in English allow us to express ourselves clearly. Using a variety of sentences
in your writing will add interest and help you get your ideas across
effectively. To communicate clearly, it's important to know the function of
each type of sentence so you can make the right choice, depending on your
purpose.
1 DECLARATIVE SENTENCES:
A declarative sentence is the
most basic type of sentence. Its purpose is to relay information, and it is
punctuated with a period. For example:
Declarative Sentence
Examples
Declarative sentences are
simply statements that relay information. They are the most common type of
sentences in the English language. A declarative sentence states the facts or
an opinion and lets the reader know something specific. It always ends with a
period.
TYPES OF DECLARATIVE
SENTENCES
A declarative sentence is
written in the present tense and expresses a direct statement. It can be a
simple or compound sentence. A simple declarative sentence consists of a
subject and a predicate.
Some basic declarative
sentence examples are:
•He walks.
•She writes.
•I like horse riding.
•My dog is white.
•Cats are cute.
A compound declarative
sentence joins two related phrases together. The phrases are joined by a comma
and a conjunction such as and, yet, or but. The phrases can also be joined by a
semicolon, with or without a transition word such as however, besides or therefore.
Some examples of compound declarative sentences are:
•Malika loves the beach,
yet she hates sand.
•She had to make the next train;
she quickly packed her bag.
Examples of Declarative
Sentences
The following are more
examples of declarative sentences, from very simple to more complex. As you
will see, all declaratives end in a period and are informative statements. They
can also express an opinion.
•The weather is warm and
sunny; a perfect day for a match.
•She wears blue nail
polish.
•The dog chased the boy.
•It is a nice day.
2 INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES:
Interrogative sentences
interrogate, or ask questions. These are direct questions, and they are
punctuated with a question mark. For example:
•Why does the sun shine?
•Whose bag is that?
•Will Sherri get to keep
all her lottery winnings?
Many interrogative
sentences start with question words like "how" or "why,"
but others are yes/no questions that begin with the verb instead of the noun.
It is important to remember that interrogative sentences still require a noun
and a verb to be complete.
HOW TO FORM AN OPEN-ENDED
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE
Like all complete
sentences in English, an interrogative sentence must contain a subject and a
verb. However, here the word order is usually changed to put the verb before
the subject.
For example:
•When is the deadline?
In this sentence,
"deadline" is the subject and "is" is the verb. The verb
comes before the subject in a direct question.
An open-ended question
usually begins with a "question word" in English:
•who
•whom
•whose
•what
•when
•where
•why
•which
•how
So start your open-ended
interrogative sentence with a question word, then continue the sentence with
the verb and the subject. Examine the examples below to get a feel for how this
works in practice:
•When are the best days to
go to the mall?
•Where is your new car?
•Why is the sea blue?
•How are you today?
In some cases, the
question word itself serves as the subject of the sentence, because the subject
is unknown - in fact, answering the question will provide the subject. For
example:
•Who is the best finisher in the Indian Premier League?
•Whose snacks are these?
•Which is the best route
to the Sathyam theatre?
Often times an
interrogative sentence requires a helping verb. In these cases, the subject
comes between the helping verb and the main verb.
For example:
•Why did Sussila leave so
late?
In this sentence, the
subject "Susila" is sandwiched between the helping verb
"did" and the main verb "leave." This happens frequently in
direct questions:
•Where did I leave my bike
key?
OTHER TYPES OF
INTERROGATIVES
In addition to the
open-ended interrogative sentences described above, there are a few other types
of interrogatives.
Yes/No Questions
These questions are
designed to be answered simply with either an affirmative or a negative. They
start with a verb or helping verb followed by the subject. For example:
•Was the show enjoyable?
•Did the boys get to
school on time?
•Were you too late?
ALTERNATIVE INTERROGATIVES
These are "or"
questions that are designed to offer one or more choices in the context of the
question. They also begin with a verb or a helping verb. For example:
•Do you think I should go
home or stay a little longer?
•Is the dog okay, or
should we go to the vet?
•Will you be home soon, or
should I eat without you?
TAG QUESTIONS
Tag questions are added on
to the end of declarative sentences. A declarative sentence makes a statement
and follows standard subject-verb word order, but you can add a short question
offset by a comma to make it an interrogative fragment. Tag questions usually
ask for confirmation.
For example:
•She's an excellent
violinist, isn't she?
•There's no food in your
bag, is there?
•You're a cute one, aren't
you?
•You think you're so
smart, don't you?
INDIRECT QUESTIONS
Whether open-ended or not,
interrogative sentences always ask direct questions. It should be noted that
this is different from indirect questions, which are declarative sentences that
report a question that was asked in another context. For example:
•He asked if I still
wanted to go to the show.
The word "if"
sets up the indirect question that is embedded in this declarative sentence.
The purpose of this sentence is to report that he asked something,
it is not to ask the
question "Do you still want to go to the show?".
•I was wondering if I
could buy you dinner.
When you want an answer to
a question, it's crucial to ask it directly in your writing or speaking,
instead of creating an indirect question like this. While your meaning may
still be clear, it is a little rambling and not technically an interrogative
sentence.
DIRECT QUESTIONS
To eliminate confusion,
begin a question with a question word or verb and end it with a question mark
to make sure you have really made an interrogative sentence. These direct
questions will lead you to the answers you seek in the most straightforward
manner.
3 EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES:
Exclamatory sentences are
like declarative sentences in that they make a statement instead of asking a
question, but their main purpose is to express strong emotion. They are easily
recognized because they end in an exclamation point instead of a period:
•I said I wanted tiffin instead of meals!
•How well he sings!
•Wow, he just won a first
prize!
Notice that each one of
these examples contains both a subject and a verb, which is still a requirement
for a complete sentence. Exclamatory sentences are often used in casual
conversation and in written dialogue to show emotion, but they are not typically
useful in academic or expository writing. In these more serious works, it's
better to make your point with well-written declarative sentences instead
An exclamatory sentence
makes a statement that conveys strong emotion or excitement. Placing that tiny
stripe above a period at the end of a sentence can really rock the boat!
For example:
"I got the CSK match
tickets!"
"Ugh! Why are you
yelling at me?"
"I'm not!"
Have you ever had a text
conversation go something like that? Your friend is trying to convey excitement
and instead of throwing in some emojis, she uses exclamation marks. No big
deal, but it can come across as a different kind of emotion, like anger or
frustration.
In truth, exclamation
marks are like sugar. Sometimes they can be too much. So, be careful if you
just mean to say, "I need some coffee," rather than "I need some
coffee!" the next time you're contemplating this magical bean.
Your tone, the emphasis
you place on certain words, and your inflection can all change the meaning -
and possibly the urgency - of your sentence.
Let's take a look at some
exclamatory sentence examples. We've broken them up into their most common
categories.
EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES THAT
EXPRESS STRONG EMOTION:
•Happy birthday, Amy
Jackson!
•Thank you, Shiva!
•I hate you!
•Ice cream sundaes are my
favorite!
Exclamatory sentences are
so powerful they can stand alone.
For example:
•Wow, I really love you!
•Fantastic, let's go!
In these instances, you
don't have to divide the sentiment into two separate sentences. Instead, insert
a comma where the speaker would naturally pause and then finish off with that
indicator of excitement, the exclamation mark.
EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES THAT
BEGIN WITH "WHAT:"
•What a lovely bouquet of
flowers!
•What a cute puppy!
·
What a beautiful shot!
EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES THAT
BEGIN WITH "HOW:"
•How well he sings!
•How slow they crawl!
•How fast Jadeja ran!
EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES
CONTAINING "SO:"
•That birthday cake was so
good!
•Shaker's gift was so
amazing!
•I'm so mad right now!
EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES
CONTAINING "SUCH:"
That's such a gorgeous
ring!
Your puppy is such a
cutie!
You're such a liar!
Avoid Exclamations in
Academic Writing
Exclamatory sentences
don't really have a place in academic writing or reports. Short of quoting
someone else, they are to be avoided. Academic papers are going to be filled
with declarative sentences, which make a statement, or interrogative sentences,
which pose a question.
Declarative sentences
relay information, plain and simple. They're always punctuated by a period.
Interrogative sentences ask questions and they're punctuated by a question
mark.
An imperative sentence is
also not used much in academic writing, but if you see it in other writing it
may be confused with an exclamatory sentence as it can also end with an
exclamation point. The difference to remember is that an exclamatory sentence
will always express heightened emotion.
4 IMPERATIVE SENTENCES:
Imperative sentences do
not simply state a fact but rather tell someone to do something. These can be
in the form of friendly advice, basic instructions or more forceful commands.
For example:
•Please shut the door.
•Turn left at the bridge.
•Stop bothering me!
Many imperative sentences
end in periods, but some of the more forceful demands may end in an exclamation
point to highlight the emotion. You can identify an imperative sentence because
it appears to be missing a subject. However, the command of each imperative is
directed at you, making these sentences second-person. The subject of the
sentence may be omitted, but it's called "you understood" because the
reader is aware that each sentence could be written as "you do this" or
"you do that."
Imperative sentences are
used to issue a command or instruction, make a request, or offer advice.
Basically, they tell people what to do. Below, you'll find some imperative
sentence examples and learn about their function.
Imperative sentences
usually end with a period but can occasionally end with an exclamation point.
These sentences are sometimes referred to as directives because they provide
direction to whoever is being addressed.
In the examples of
imperative sentences here, you'll note that each line is issuing a command of
some sort:
•Pass the salt.
•Move out of my way!
•Shut the front door.
•Be there at five.
•Clean your room.
•Complete this work by tomorrow.
•Wait for me.
•Get out!
•Please be quiet.
IDENTIFYING IMPERATIVE
SENTENCES
The first indication of an
imperative sentence is its punctuation. Most of these sentences end with a
period, and sometimes an exclamation mark. Just be careful, as imperative
sentences aren't the only sentences that end with a period or exclamation mark
(as you'll see below). The punctuation is simply your first indication that you
may be looking at an imperative sentence.
Next, take a look at the
verb in these sentences. Typically, imperative sentences begin with verbs that
issue a command. Another clue is the subject. Do you see one? Generally, the
subject of an imperative sentence is implied, not stated, as it is giving a
direct order.
No matter what, the main
function of an imperative sentence is to provide instruction, make a request or
demand, or offer an invitation or advice. Let's take another look at some
imperative sentences and consider their function:
•Preheat the oven.
(Instruction)
•Use oil in the pan.
(Instruction)
•Don't eat all the Chips.
(Request or demand)
•Stop feeding the dog from
the table. (Request or demand)
•Come out with us tonight.
(Invitation)
•Please join us for
dinner. (Invitation)
•Wear your gold necklace
with that dress. (Advice)
Let's take a quick look at
each type of sentence and how you can tell them apart from an imperative
sentence.
Declarative Sentences
Imperative and declarative
sentences are sometimes confused because each of them can end with a period.
Here's the main point of
difference. Declarative sentences don't issue commands, provide instructions,
or offer invitations; they simply make a statement or offer an opinion.
Basically, they make a declaration.
•I am traveling to Shimla.
(Statement)
•Shimla is really beautiful.
(Opinion)
Exclamatory Sentences
An exclamatory sentence
expresses heightened emotion such as excitement, surprise, anger, or joy. It
always ends with an exclamation mark.
As an imperative sentence
can also end with an exclamation mark, you have to ask yourself if the sentence
is issuing a command (imperative) or expressing a feeling (exclamatory). For
example:
•Get out of here!
(Imperative sentence)
•I wish he would leave!
(Exclamatory sentence)
Interrogative Sentences
An interrogative sentence
actually asks a question. These sentences end with a question mark and often
begin with such words as who, what, where, when, why, how, or do.
◦When will your short
story be finished?
◦Do you still have my
book?
Hope you understand the
differences between each types of sentences.