Creating a sentence in English typically involves arranging words, phrases and clauses in a coherent and grammatically correct manner. The four main types of sentence are declarative sentences, interrogative sentences and imperative sentences, with the additional type of the exclamative sentence.
Structuring an English sentence
These are the components that are necessary to compose a sentence:
A subject. Every sentence needs a subject, which is usually a noun or pronoun that performs the action or is being described. For example, ‘she’, ‘the dog’ or ‘my friend’.
A verb. A sentence also requires a verb, which expresses the action or state of being. Verbs can be in different tenses (past, present or future), and forms (regular or irregular). For example, ‘runs’, ‘is eating’ or ‘will write’.
An object. Many sentences include an object, which is a noun or noun phrase that receives the action of the verb. Objects can be direct or indirect. For example, in the sentence ‘He read the book’, the book is the direct object. In the sentence, ‘He gave her a book’, ‘her’ is the indirect object, an additional object, a third noun or noun phrase, a someone or something that is affected by the action of the verb, but is not the primary object, while ‘the book’ itself is being read or given as the primary or direct object.
Complements. Some sentences may have complements, which provide additional information about the subject or object. Complements can be nouns, adjectives or other parts of speech. For more detail on the ‘parts of speech’ please see the relevant article.
– In the sentence ‘She is a doctor’, ‘doctor’ is a complement.
– In the example ‘They found the film entertaining’, ‘entertaining’ is a complement.
Adverbs and adverbial phrases. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives or other adverbs, and provide information about how, when, where, or to what extent an action occurs. Adverbial phrases function similarly.
– In the sentence ‘She runs quickly’, ‘quickly’ describes how she runs.
– In the sentence ‘They arrived yesterday’, yesterday tells us something about their arrival.
Adjectives. Similarly, adjectives describe or modify nouns, providing more information about their qualities or attributes.
– ‘The big house’, tells us something about the noun, ‘the house’.
– ‘An interesting book’ tells us more about ‘the book’.
Punctuation. Proper use of punctuation marks, such as commas, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks, helps clarify the meaning and structure of a sentence.
The word order. In English, the typical word order is subject – verb – object. However, word order can be flexible and varies depending on the sentence structure; that is, whether the sentence is a statement, a question, an exclamation or a command. It is these four sentence types that are detailed in this article.
In addition to the types of sentence detailed below, there are various sentence structures in English, which include simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentences.
The following are the four types of sentence.
Declarative sentences
A declarative sentence is a type of sentence that makes a statement or expresses an opinion. It conveys information, asserts a fact, or shares thoughts without seeking a response or asking a question. Declarative sentences are the most common type of sentence in English.
The following are the key characteristics of declarative sentences.
- Statement form: Declarative sentences are constructed in subject – verb – object order, or subject – verb – complement order. The subject is typically the noun or pronoun that performs the action or is being described, the verb expresses the action or state of being, and the object or complement provides more information about the subject:
- She is reading a book.
- She is coming home.
- Neutral intonation: Declarative sentences are usually spoken with a neutral or falling intonation. Declarative sentences indicate a statement or fact.
- Punctuation: Declarative sentences typically end with a full stop . to indicate a complete thought. The use of other punctuation marks, such as commas or semicolons, depends on the sentence structure and the need for clarity or emphasis.
- Expressing opinions, facts or information: Declarative sentences are commonly used to convey information, share opinions, describe situations or state facts. They are often used in everyday conversations, written essays, articles or academic papers.
- Affirmative or negative forms: Declarative sentences can be affirmative or negative, depending on the statement being made. Negative declarative sentences include words such as ‘not’, ‘never’, ‘no’ or the contraction ‘n’t’:
- They aren’t here.
- There is no milk left.
Declarative sentences can vary in complexity and length, ranging from simple statements to more complex structures with multiple clauses or modifiers. However, the essential characteristic of a declarative sentence is its function in stating or asserting something.
Interrogative sentences
An interrogative sentence is a type of sentence that asks a question. It is a sentence that is intended to seek information, clarification or confirmation. Interrogative sentences typically involve inverting the subject and the auxiliary verb or using a question word at the beginning of the sentence.
The key characteristics of interrogative sentences:
- Word order: In most interrogative sentences, the subject and the auxiliary verb are inverted. This means that the auxiliary verb comes before the subject (auxiliary verb – subject – main verb – object):
- Are you coming home?
- Did she finish her homework?
- Can they swim?
Note that in the above examples there is an auxiliary verb (are/did/can), and therefore the subject appears between the auxiliary verb and the main verb. For more on auxiliary verbs, please see this post.
Rephrased as a declarative sentence, the examples would look like this (subject – auxiliary verb – main verb – object),
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- You are coming home.
- She did finish her homework.
- They can swim.
- Question words: Often, interrogative sentences begin with question words (also known as interrogative pronouns or adverbs) such as who, what, where, when, why, which, how and whose. These words help to specify the information being sought. When a question word is added to a sentence, it appears at the very beginning (question word – auxiliary verb – subject – main verb – object):
- Why are you coming home?
- When did she finish her homework?
- Where can they swim?
Compare these examples above to the first examples of the very same questions without question words.
An interrogative sentence can sometimes also have no auxiliary verb (question word – main verb – object):
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- How are you?
- What is the time?
In the above examples the subject simply appears after the verb. Note how the changing word order has been highlighted in bold for each set of examples.
- Rising intonation: When speaking, interrogative sentences are often accompanied by a rising intonation at the end of the sentence. This helps signal that a question is being asked. In written form, a question mark ? is used at the end of the sentence.
- Alternative question forms: In addition to the standard inverted form, there are alternative question forms that do not require the inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb, and these forms are commonly spoken with rising intonation. They are typically used in informal speech or when seeking confirmation or agreement:
- You did the final checks?
- You locked the door?
Note that these are not the common or standard way to form a question as they are in, for example, French or Spanish, and should be used sparingly and with caution.
- Tag questions: These are short phrases added at the end of a sentence to turn a statement into a question. They are often used to seek agreement or confirmation:
- You’re coming, aren’t you?
- She does like pizza, doesn’t she?
- He’s not well, is he?
- They’re not here, are they?
You can see that the same verb and the same subject are used in the tag as in the main part of the sentence. Beware there is one exception:
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- I’m old, aren’t I?
The first person singular, ‘I’, uses ‘are’!
-
- I’m not old, am I?
…but only when the negative is in the tag!
This illogicality has simply evolved in this way over years of changing language use.
Finally, not all sentences that start with question words are interrogative sentences. Some sentences beginning with question words may be exclamatory or declarative, depending on the context and intonation.
Imperative sentences
An imperative sentence is a type of sentence that gives a command, makes a request or expresses a directive. It is used to convey instructions, suggestions or orders. The subject of an imperative sentence is often implied and is usually ‘you’.
Key characteristics of imperative sentences:
- Verb form: Imperative sentences typically begin with a base form (the infinitive) of the verb, which is also referred to as the ‘imperative mood’. The verb is used to express the action that the speaker wishes the listener to perform:
- Close the door.
- Please sit down.
- Subject: Although the subject tends to be implied and is often ‘you’, it is frequently omitted because it is understood:
- Eat your vegetables.
- Mind your manners.
- Punctuation: Imperative sentences can end with a full stop or an exclamation mark depending on the intensity or emotion behind the command. Sometimes, if an exclamation mark is used, these will be classed separately as ‘Exclamative Sentences’ (see the following section):
- Do be quiet. (said in a polite tone).
- Be quiet! (exclaimed).
- Context: The meaning of an imperative sentence can be influenced by the context or tone of the situation:
- Take a break.
- Leave your things.
The above examples could be an instruction in a classroom setting, a suggestion from a friend or a command from a superior.
Imperative sentences differ from other types of sentences (such as declarative, interrogative or exclamatory) because they are focused on giving instructions or expressing commands rather than stating facts, asking questions or expressing strong emotions.
Exclamative sentences
Exclamative sentences are a type of sentence that express strong emotions, surprise, excitement or astonishment. As touched upon in the above description of imperative sentences, exclamative sentences are typically used to convey a strong reaction or to emphasise a particular point. Exclamative sentences usually end with an exclamation mark ! to indicate the intensity of the emotion being expressed:
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- Drop everything!
- Get out of here!
- Be quiet!
- What a beautiful sunset!
In each of these examples, the sentences express a strong emotional response or convey a sense of awe, surprise or enthusiasm.
Conclusion
All these sentence types serve different functions and can convey various meanings and intentions depending on the context. It is important to understand their distinctions to communicate effectively in writing or speech.
If you have any questions or comments, please do leave them below.
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