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Types of Sentences

The document discusses different types of sentences including declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. It also discusses sentence fragments and run-on sentences, how to identify them, and methods for correcting them.

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Balqees Aly Wehby
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31 views26 pages

Types of Sentences

The document discusses different types of sentences including declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. It also discusses sentence fragments and run-on sentences, how to identify them, and methods for correcting them.

Uploaded by

Balqees Aly Wehby
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TYPES OF SENTENCES

1. Declarative Sentence (statement)

• Declarative sentences make a statement. They tell us something. They


give us
• information, and they normally end with a full-stop/period.
• The usual word order for the declarative sentence is:
• • subject + verb...
• Declarative sentences can be affirmative or negative. Look at these
examples:
Affirmative Negative

I like coffee. I do not like coffee.

We watched TV last night. We did not watch TV last


night.

Declarative sentences are the most common type of sentence .


2. INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE
(QUESTION)

• Interrogative sentences ask a question. They ask us something. They


want
• information, and they always end with a question mark.
• The usual word order for the interrogative sentence is:
• • (wh-word +) auxiliary + subject + verb...
• Interrogative sentences can be positive or negative. Look at these
examples:
Affirmative Negative

Do you like coffee? Don't you like coffee?

Why did you go? Why didn't you go?


3. IMPERATIVE SENTENCE
(COMMAND)

• Imperative sentences give a command. They tell us to do something, and they


end
• with a full-stop/period (.) or exclamation mark/point (!).
• The usual word order for the imperative sentence is:
• • base verb...
• Note that there is usually no subject—because the subject is understood, it is
YOU.
• Imperative sentences can be positive or negative. Look at these examples:
Affirmative Negative
Stop! Do not stop!
Give her coffee. Don't give her coffee.
4. EXCLAMATORY SENTENCE
(EXCLAMATION)

• Exclamatory sentences express strong emotion/surprise—an


exclamation—and
• they always end with an exclamation mark/point (!).
• The usual word order for the exclamatory sentence is:
• • What (+ adjective) + noun + subject + verb
• • How (+ adjective/adverb) + subject + verb
• Look at these examples:
• • What a liar he is!
• • What an exciting movie it was!
• • How he lied!
• • How exciting the movie was!
EXERCISE

• Read the sentences. Identify the type of each sentence.


1. Will the teacher be late?
2. He scored a goal.
3. I completed my college application essay.
4. Read this book now.
5. The trip was exciting!
6. Who graduated at the top of a class?
7. Shut the door.
8. What a cute dog!
9. Peanut is better than jam.
10. Brush your teeth.
• Answers:
1. Interrogative (?)
2. Declarative (.)
3. Declarative (.)
4. Imperative (.)
5. Exclamatory (!)
6. Interrogative (?)
7. Imperative (.)
8. Exclamatory (!)
9. Declarative (.)
10. Imperative (.)
SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

• A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence. Some fragments are


incomplete because they
• lack either a subject or a verb, or both. The fragments that most students
have trouble with,
• however, are dependent clauses—they have a subject and a verb, so they
look like complete
• sentences, but they don’t express a complete thought. They’re called
“dependent” because they
• can’t stand on their own (just like some people you might know who are SO
dependent!).
• Look at
• these dependent clauses. They’re just begging for more information to
make the thoughts
• complete:
• Because their car was in the shop (…What did they do?)
• After the rain stops (…What then?)
• When you finally take the test (…What will happen?)
• Since you asked (…Will you get the answer?)
• If you want to go with me (…What should you do?)
• Does each of these examples have a subject? Yes. Does each have a verb? Yes.
So what
• makes the thought incomplete? It’s the first word (Because, After, When,
Since, If). These words
• belong to a special class of words called subordinators or subordinating
conjunctions. If you
• know something about subordinating conjunctions, you can probably eliminate
90% of your
• fragments.
• First, you need to know that subordinating conjunctions do three things:
• 1. join two sentences together
• 2. make one of the sentences dependent on the other for a complete thought
(make one a
• dependent clause)
• 3. indicate a logical relationship
• Second, you need to recognize the subordinators when you see them.
• Here is a list of common subordinating conjunctions and the relationships
they indicate:
• • Cause / Effect: because, since, so that
• • Comparison / Contrast: although, even though, though, whereas, while
• • Place & Manner: how, however, where, wherever
• • Possibility / Conditions: if, whether, unless
• • Relation: that, which, who
• • Time: after, as, before, since, when, whenever, while, until
• Third, you need to know that the subordinator (and the whole dependent clause)
doesn’t have to
• be at the beginning of the sentence. The dependent clause and the independent
clause can
• switch places, but the whole clause moves as one big chunk. Look at how these
clauses
• switched places in the sentence:
• Because their car was in the shop, they took the bus.
• They took the bus because their car was in the shop.
• Finally, you need to know that every dependent clause needs to be attached to
an independent
• clause (remember, the independent clause can stand on its own).
• How do you find and fix your fragments? Remember the basics: subject, verb,
and complete
• thought. If you can recognize those things, you’re halfway there. Then, scan
your sentences for
• subordinating conjunctions. If you find one, first identify the whole chunk of the
dependent clause
• (the subject and verb that go with the subordinator), and then make sure they’re
attached to an independent clause.
• They took the bus. (Independent clause. So far, all is well!)
• Because their car was in the shop. (Dependent clause all by itself. Uh oh! Fragment!)
• They took the bus because their car was in the shop.
RUN-ONS

• These are also called fused sentences. You are making a run-on when
you put two complete sentences (a subject and its predicate and
another subject and its predicate) together in one sentence without
separating them properly. Here’s an example of a run-on:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky.
• This one sentence actually contains two complete sentences. But in the rush to
get that idea out, I made it into one incorrect sentence. Luckily, there are many
ways to correct this run-on sentence.
• You could use a semicolon:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus; it is very garlicky.
• You could use a comma and a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or,
yet, so):
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, for it is very garlicky. -OR- My
favorite
• Mediterranean spread is hummus, and it is very garlicky.
• You could use a subordinating conjunction (see above):
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus because it is very garlicky. -OR-
Because
• it is so garlicky, my favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus.
• You could make it into two separate sentences with a period in between:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus. It is very garlicky.
• You could use an em-dash (a long dash) for emphasis:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus—it is very garlicky.
• You CANNOT simply add a comma between the two sentences, or you’ll end
up with what’s
• called a “comma splice.” Here’s an example of a comma splice:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, it is very garlicky.
• You can fix a comma splice the same way you fix a run-on—either change the
punctuation or add a conjunction. The good news is that writers tend to be
either comma splicers or run-on artists, but almost never both. Which one are
you? If you have particular trouble with comma splices, try looking at our
handout on commas.
FINDING RUN-ONS

• As you can see, fixing run-ons is pretty easy once you see them—but how do
you find out if a sentence is a run-on if you aren’t sure? Rei R. Noguchi, in his
book Grammar and the Teaching of Writing, recommends two methods for
testing your sentences. Try these two tests:
• 1. Turn your sentences into yes/no questions.
• 2. Turn your sentences into tag questions (sentences that end with a questioning
phrase at the very end—look at our examples below).
• These are two things that nearly everyone can do easily if the sentence is not a run-on, but they become next to impossible if it is.
• Look at the following sentence:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus.
• If you turn it into a question that someone could answer with a yes or no, it looks like this:
• Is my favorite Mediterranean spread hummus?
• If you turn it into a tag question, it looks like this:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, isn’t it?
• The first sentence is complete and not a run-on, because our test worked.
• Now, look again at the original run-on sentence:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky.
• The yes/no question can only be made with each separate thought, not the sentence as a whole:
• Is my favorite Mediterranean spread hummus? Is it very garlicky?
• But not:
• Is my favorite Mediterranean spread hummus is it very garlicky?
• The tag question can also only be made with each separate thought, rather than the whole:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus, isn’t it? It’s very garlicky, isn’t it?
• But never:
• My favorite Mediterranean spread is hummus it is very garlicky, isn’t it?
Unlike the complete sentence, the run-on sentence doesn’t pass these tests. When you try to
turn the run-on sentence into a single question, you immediately see that the sentence has more
than one complete concept. Make sure you try both tests with each of your problem sentences,
because you may trick yourself by just putting a tag on the last part and not noticing that it
doesn’t work on the first. Some people might not notice that “My favorite Mediterranean spread is
hummus it is very garlicky isn’t it?” is wrong, but most people will spot the yes/no question
problem right away.

Every once in a while, you or your instructor will see a really long sentence and think it’s a run-on
when it isn’t. Really long sentences can be tiring but not necessarily wrong—just make sure that
yours aren’t wrong by using the tests above.

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