What Is a Sentence? (with Examples of the Different Types of Sentence)
A sentence is a group of words giving a complete thought. A sentence must contain a subject and a verb (although one may be implied).
A More Formal Definition of Sentence
A sentence is a set of words that is complete in itself, typically containing a subject and predicate, conveying a statement, question, exclamation, or command, and consisting of the main clause and sometimes one or more subordinate clauses - Oxford Dictionary
The Four Types of Sentence
There are four types of sentence.
A declarative sentence.
A declarative sentence states a fact and ends with a period / full stop.
For example: He has every attribute of a dog except loyalty. (Thomas P Gore)
I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
(Remember, a statement which contains an indirect question (like this example) is not a question.)
An imperative sentence.
An imperative sentence is a command or a polite request. It ends with an exclamation mark or a period / full stop.
For example:
When a dog runs at you, whistle for him. (Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862)
An interrogative sentence.
An interrogative sentence asks a question and ends with a question mark. For example:
Who knew that dog saliva can mend a broken heart? (Jennifer Neal)
An exclamatory sentence.
An exclamatory sentence expresses excitement or emotion. It ends with an exclamation mark.
For example:
In Washington, it's dog eat dog. In academia, it's exactly the opposite! (Robert Reich)
The Four Sentence Structures
A sentence can consist of a single clause or several clauses. When a sentence is a single clause, it is called a simple sentence (and the clause is called an independent clause). A sentence must contain at least one independent clause. Below are the four types of sentence structure (with their independent clauses shaded:
A Complex Sentence.
A complex sentence has an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. For example:
Diplomacy is the art of saying "nice doggie" until you can find a rock. (Will Rogers, 1879-1935)
When you're on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. (Peter Steiner)
A Compound Sentence.
A compound sentence has at least two independent clauses. For example:
Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war. (William Shakespeare, 1564-1616)
A Simple Sentence.
A simple sentence has just one independent clause.
For example:
You can't surprise a man with a dog.(Cindy Chupack)
A Compound-Complex Sentence.
A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. For example:
When a dog bites a man, that is not news because it happens so often, but if a man bites a dog, that is news. (John B Bogart)
A sentence is a group of words giving a complete thought. A sentence must contain a subject and a verb (although one may be implied).
A More Formal Definition of Sentence
A sentence is a set of words that is complete in itself, typically containing a subject and predicate, conveying a statement, question, exclamation, or command, and consisting of the main clause and sometimes one or more subordinate clauses - Oxford Dictionary
The Four Types of Sentence
There are four types of sentence.
A declarative sentence.
A declarative sentence states a fact and ends with a period / full stop.
For example: He has every attribute of a dog except loyalty. (Thomas P Gore)
I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
(Remember, a statement which contains an indirect question (like this example) is not a question.)
An imperative sentence.
An imperative sentence is a command or a polite request. It ends with an exclamation mark or a period / full stop.
For example:
When a dog runs at you, whistle for him. (Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862)
An interrogative sentence.
An interrogative sentence asks a question and ends with a question mark. For example:
Who knew that dog saliva can mend a broken heart? (Jennifer Neal)
An exclamatory sentence.
An exclamatory sentence expresses excitement or emotion. It ends with an exclamation mark.
For example:
In Washington, it's dog eat dog. In academia, it's exactly the opposite! (Robert Reich)
The Four Sentence Structures
A sentence can consist of a single clause or several clauses. When a sentence is a single clause, it is called a simple sentence (and the clause is called an independent clause). A sentence must contain at least one independent clause. Below are the four types of sentence structure (with their independent clauses shaded:
A Complex Sentence.
A complex sentence has an independent clause and at least one dependent clause. For example:
Diplomacy is the art of saying "nice doggie" until you can find a rock. (Will Rogers, 1879-1935)
When you're on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. (Peter Steiner)
A Compound Sentence.
A compound sentence has at least two independent clauses. For example:
Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war. (William Shakespeare, 1564-1616)
A Simple Sentence.
A simple sentence has just one independent clause.
For example:
You can't surprise a man with a dog.(Cindy Chupack)
A Compound-Complex Sentence.
A compound-complex sentence has at least two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause. For example:
When a dog bites a man, that is not news because it happens so often, but if a man bites a dog, that is news. (John B Bogart)
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