Sentence Types
What are Sentence Types?
There are four types of sentences in English:
declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory. Each has a specific
purpose that is detailed below.
Four Types of Sentences:
1. Declarative Sentence
The purpose of this sentence
is to make a statement. It is the most common sentence in writing, and it ends
with a period.
Ex:
Larry ate chocolate ice cream covered with almonds.
Ex:
Susan was declared class president at the pep rally.
2.
Interrogative Sentence
The purpose of this sentence
is to ask a question. The sentence ends with a question mark. There are two
kinds of questions in English: the "yes/no" question and the
"wh-" question.
·
The "yes/no" question places the helping verb in a
declarative sentence before the subject in the interrogative sentence.
s hv v
Ex:
I can go to
Is transformed to:
hv s v
Can I go to
·
The "wh-"question begins with a
question word: who, what, when, where,
why, and how. These words always appear first in the interrogative
sentence.
Ex:
Who is that student?
Ex:
What are Mary and Robin doing?
Ex:
When will you be home?
Ex:
Where is Mark going?
Ex:
Why are you sad?
Ex:
How does that work?
3.
Imperative Sentence
The purpose of this sentence is to issue a request or command. It has no written subject; however, the subject is implied, and it is always "you."
Ex: Go to school.
(You) Go to school.
Ex: Don't drive too fast.
(You) Don't drive too fast.
4.
Exclamatory Sentence
The purpose of this sentence
is to express a strong feeling. Exclamatory sentences always end with an
exclamation point (!).
Ex:
That is an unusual color!
Ex: John sounded brilliant!
Remember:
There are four types of sentences in English. Each
has a specific purpose: to make a statement, to ask a question, to issue a
command, or to express a strong feeling.